New Term at Malory Towers Page 5

  ‘I’m afraid that Veronica Sharpe is going to be bitterly disappointed,’ said Miss Potts drily. ‘She is quite certain that the position is hers.’

  ‘It never entered my head to make Veronica head-girl,’ said Miss Peters, with a rather scornful laugh. ‘I’m afraid that young lady has a lot to learn before she can ever be given a position of responsibility. She would have been a most unpopular choice!’

  Felicity, however, was an extremely popular choice, and the classroom resembled a bear garden for a few moments, as the third formers congratulated her noisily.

  ‘Well done, Felicity!’

  ‘Jolly good show! You’ll make a super head-girl.’

  ‘My word, won’t your parents be proud?’

  June, delighted to see the look of horror on Veronica’s face, cheered loudest of all, leaning forward and slapping Felicity on the back. ‘Congratulations, Felicity! I’m so pleased for you.’

  Only two girls remained silent. One, of course, was Veronica, who felt humiliated beyond words. To think that Felicity Rivers, of all people, had been given the honour that she had wanted so badly for herself. Veronica would almost have preferred that dreadful June as head-girl! And worst of all, she had actually boasted to Amy last night that she was going to be head-girl. Why hadn’t she kept her mouth shut?

  The other girl who was unable to speak was Felicity herself! For a moment, she thought that she had misheard Miss Peters as the mistress announced her name. Then Susan had given her a hug that almost pulled her out of her seat, the cheering and yelling had erupted, and she had realised that it was true. She, Felicity Rivers, was head of the third form! Felicity felt that she would burst with pride and happiness. She must write to her parents tonight – and Darrell, of course – and tell them the news! My goodness, how thrilled and proud they would all be! And what a super term this was going to be. Felicity vowed silently that she would be the best head-girl any form had ever had – even better than Darrell! Nothing would go wrong while she was in charge, nothing bad would happen and there would be no problems whatsoever.

  But Felicity was wrong. The third form’s problems were just about to begin!

  A shock for Felicity

  The first week of term simply sped by. Life at Malory Towers was full, busy and happy, so that the girls scarcely had a moment in which to be bored or homesick. But there were irritations too. Amy remained aloof and stand-offish, looking down on everyone other than Veronica, whom she graciously allowed to be her friend. As for Veronica herself, she had become more sour than ever since Felicity had been made head-girl.

  ‘The two of them seem to have formed their own exclusive little club,’ remarked Nora one day.

  ‘Yes, though I don’t know why Veronica thinks she’s so superior to the rest of us,’ said Julie rather indignantly. ‘I saw her people last half-term and they are quite ordinary.’

  ‘Veronica has become superior by association with Amy,’ drawled June. ‘Or at any rate, she thinks she has. And the more time the two of them spend together, the worse it’s going to get.’

  Felicity was in hearty agreement with June over this, and did her best to get the two girls to mix more with the rest of the form, but her efforts were in vain. Felicity spoke to Susan about it at tea one afternoon.

  ‘I really feel that it’s my responsibility to do something about them,’ she said in a low voice. ‘They’re awfully bad for one another. Veronica just encourages Amy in her belief that she’s a cut above the rest of us. And as long as she has Amy for her friend, Veronica won’t attempt to mix with the rest of us and will become even more unpopular.’

  ‘Yes, but what can you do?’ asked Susan reasonably. ‘You can hardly order them not to be friends.’

  ‘No, but I shall think of something,’ said Felicity, with a determined set to her chin, and Susan grinned. She didn’t doubt for a minute that her friend would do whatever she set her mind to, for she had always known that Felicity was a strong character. And now that she was head of the form, it was coming to the fore.

  ‘I say, look!’ cried Nora, who was sitting opposite them. ‘Miss Potts has just appeared with a new girl. A first former, by the look of her, for she’s only a little scrap.’

  ‘Poor little soul,’ said Pam, sympathetically. ‘It must be awfully nerve-wracking to walk into a room full of strangers. Still, the first formers are a decent bunch and I daresay they’ll look after her.’

  Felicity and Susan, who had their backs to the door, turned curiously to look at the newcomer. Felicity, who had just taken a bite of fruit cake, choked, while Susan gasped.

  ‘Bonnie!’ said Felicity in horror. ‘Susan, it’s Bonnie!’

  ‘Yes, I can see that,’ murmured Susan, sounding less than thrilled.

  For the wide-eyed little girl standing next to Miss Potts was none other than Felicity’s neighbour, Bonnie Meadows. At that moment, she caught sight of Felicity, and gave a high-pitched squeal of excitement, before daintily weaving her way through the tables to join the third form.

  The girls stared at her in astonishment as she cried, ‘Felicity! Aren’t you surprised to see me?’ Then, without giving Felicity a chance to reply, she went on rapidly, ‘I missed you so much that I was quite miserable, then Daddy came home from one of his trips abroad and was quite worried about me, because he could see that I wasn’t my old self. So he talked Mother into letting me come here, so that I could be with you, then he telephoned Miss Grayling and fixed it all up in a trice.’

  Bonnie at last stopped to take a breath and June, who had been watching with a look of wicked amusement on her face, and had noted the shocked expressions on Felicity and Susan’s faces, said sweetly, ‘How nice for you, Felicity, to have another friend here. Do introduce us!’

  ‘This is Bonnie Meadows,’ said Felicity, pulling herself together. ‘She’s a neighbour of mine at home.’

  ‘Well, that’s excellent,’ said Miss Potts, who had followed Bonnie over and arrived just in time to hear this. ‘Bonnie will feel quite at home with you to look after her, Felicity. I shall leave it to you to help her settle in.’

  Felicity, putting her own feelings to one side for the moment, quickly introduced Bonnie to the other third formers, and to Mam’zelle Dupont, who was extremely taken with this angelic-looking little newcomer.

  ‘Susan!’ she said. ‘Please will you go to the kitchen and ask them for another plate for la petite Bonnie. And perhaps we could have some more cake, for I see that you greedy third formers have eaten it all up so that there is none left for the poor child. Sit down, ma chère, for I am sure you must be tired and hungry after your journey.’

  As Susan went off to do as Mam’zelle Dupont had asked, Bonnie turned her sweet smile on the French mistress and thanked her prettily. Then she slipped into the seat that Susan had just vacated, beside Felicity, while Pam poured her a cup of tea.

  The others, meanwhile, were sizing her up. Nora, who, with her deceptively innocent expression, wide, blue eyes and shock of fluffy blonde hair, was a long-standing favourite of Mam’zelle’s, was none too pleased to see the French mistress fussing over this new girl. Pam thought her rather sweet, while Veronica considered her to be quite silly and childish. Most of the others thought that she couldn’t be too bad if she was a friend of Felicity’s, and were prepared to give her a chance. Felicity and Susan, of course, were thoroughly dismayed at this turn of events, and poor Susan looked most disgruntled when she returned from the kitchen bearing a tray of cakes and sandwiches.

  ‘Thank you so much, Susan,’ said Bonnie, looking up at the girl with round, innocent eyes as she set the tray down on the table. ‘Oh dear, have I taken your seat?’

  ‘It is no matter,’ said Mam’zelle Dupont, quite failing to notice the hint of spite behind the sweetness. ‘Susan, there is an empty chair at the second-form table. Bring it over, and you can sit next to me, then we shall be comfortable.’

  Felicity, however, looked decidedly uncomfortable, thought June, doing her best no
t to laugh. She turned her attention to Bonnie and asked, ‘What school did you go to before you came here?’

  ‘Oh, I’ve never been to school before,’ answered Bonnie, tossing back her brown curls. ‘I was very ill when I was little, you see, and the doctors said that I was too delicate to go to school.’

  ‘Ah, la pauvre!’ exclaimed Mam’zelle, her ready sympathy stirred. ‘But you are quite well now, n’est-ce pas?’

  ‘Oh, yes, Mam’zelle,’ said Bonnie. ‘And I’m so looking forward to starting school properly, and being with Felicity again.’

  ‘You’ll be able to make up a threesome, with Felicity and Susan,’ said June, looking every bit as innocent as Bonnie herself. ‘Won’t that be super?’

  Neither Susan nor Bonnie looked particularly thrilled at this idea, while Felicity groaned inwardly. She couldn’t very well throw Bonnie off altogether – especially as she was head-girl, and it was her duty to help her settle in – but she certainly didn’t want the girl tagging along with her and Susan all the time. Whatever was she to do?

  After tea, Felicity and Susan took Bonnie up to the dormitory to unpack her things. Amy was there, searching through her cabinet for a book, and she glanced up when the others entered.

  ‘There’s only one spare bed, Bonnie,’ said Susan. ‘And it’s this one, next to Pam’s.’

  Bonnie frowned, for she had been hoping to be next to Felicity, but she said nothing and began unpacking her trunk, which had already been brought up by the handyman. She pulled out a pretty floral-patterned dress, which she had brought to wear at weekends, and it caught Amy’s eye.

  ‘I say, what a lovely dress!’ she said, coming over to take a closer look at it. ‘I have a very similar one that my mother bought me when we went on holiday to Paris. Where did you get yours from?’

  ‘I made it,’ replied Bonnie, looking pleased. ‘It took me simply ages, but I didn’t mind because I love sewing. Look, I made this one as well.’

  ‘My word, you are clever!’ said Amy, the genuine admiration in her tone astonishing Felicity and Susan, for they had never heard it before. ‘These clothes are as beautifully made as the ones Mother buys for me. It must be dreadful to have to make all your own dresses though.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t have to do it,’ said Bonnie. ‘I told you, I love sewing – and it’s the one thing that I’m really good at. Besides, if I make something myself, it means that it’s truly exclusive and no one else has a dress exactly like it.’

  ‘I’d never thought of that before,’ said Amy, much struck. ‘I do so hate looking the same as everyone else, don’t you? Come over here, Bonnie, and I’ll show you some of my things.’

  Eagerly, Bonnie followed Amy, and Susan tapped Felicity on the shoulder, murmuring, ‘I’m not particularly interested in the latest fashions, are you? Let’s leave them to it.’

  Felicity nodded and, unnoticed by the other two girls, who were now in the thick of a conversation about clothes, they tiptoed out of the dormitory.

  ‘Well!’ said Susan. ‘It seems that those two have an interest in common.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Felicity, thoughtfully. ‘In fact they’re quite alike in many ways. Bonnie’s not stuck-up, and she doesn’t look down on people like Amy does, but she’s awfully spoilt and vain.’

  ‘Yes,’ agreed Susan. ‘When I stayed with you in the hols, I noticed that she was always doing her hair, or admiring herself in the mirror, just as Amy does. I say, Felicity, what are you thinking? I do believe you have an idea!’

  ‘I was just wondering if we couldn’t push Bonnie off on to Amy,’ answered Felicity, with a grin. ‘That would kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, for it would stop Amy and Veronica spending so much time together –’

  ‘And it would mean that we wouldn’t have Bonnie tagging along after us all the time!’ Susan finished for her. ‘It’s a marvellous idea, old thing, but will it work? After all, Bonnie came here because she wanted to be with you, not Amy. And we both know how persistent she can be.’

  The two girls had reached the common-room by this time, and they sat down together on an empty sofa. Felicity bit her lip, as she always did when she was thinking hard, and at last she said, ‘Susan, I’ve got it! How would it be if I made a point of asking Bonnie to befriend Amy, as a favour to me? I can tell her that I’m a bit concerned that Amy isn’t settling in very well, and that I’m worried she’s getting too close to Veronica.’

  ‘Bonnie’s bound to agree if she thinks she’s doing a favour for you,’ cried Susan, her eyes lighting up. ‘It’s simply marvellous!’

  ‘What’s marvellous?’ asked June, coming over with Freddie and sitting down on the arm of the sofa.

  Quickly Felicity and Susan told the two girls their plan, and June grinned. ‘Poor Veronica won’t be too pleased at having to share her precious Amy. And anything that annoys Veronica is fine with me! I say, I hope that Bonnie and Amy aren’t going to spend too long in the dormitory. I wanted to show Freddie my box of tricks before bedtime.’

  But just then the door opened, and the two girls came in, chattering nineteen to the dozen.

  ‘Just look at Veronica’s face,’ whispered Freddie. ‘She doesn’t look too happy to see Bonnie and Amy on such friendly terms.’

  Indeed she didn’t! Veronica was sitting in a corner alone, reading a book, and her lips pursed as Amy, instead of coming over to join her, sat at a table with Bonnie, and the two began poring over a fashion magazine together.

  ‘She looks as though she’s been sucking on a lemon!’ chuckled June. ‘Blow, I’d really like to stay and see what happens next, but we’d better go up to the dorm, Freddie, if you want to take a look at those tricks before the bell goes for bedtime. Felicity, if a row breaks out do come and fetch us!’

  But there was no row, for as soon as Veronica got up to join the other two, Bonnie left the table and came over to join Felicity and Susan.

  ‘Amy’s awfully nice, isn’t she?’ said Bonnie, ignoring Susan and addressing her remark to Felicity.

  ‘Er – yes, awfully nice,’ agreed Felicity, exchanging a glance with Susan. Now was the time to put their plan into action. ‘Actually, Bonnie, I was glad to see you getting on so well with Amy, because she’s a new girl too and hasn’t really got to know many people yet, so –’

  ‘But I thought she was friendly with that Veronica girl,’ interrupted Bonnie.

  ‘Yes, she is,’ said Felicity. ‘And that’s the problem. You see, Bonnie, Veronica is…well, let’s just say that she isn’t a very pleasant girl, and she’s awfully unpopular with the rest of the form. And I’m afraid that, by spending so much time with Veronica, Amy is cutting herself off from the rest of us and missing the chance to make other friendships. So, if you could be her friend too, I really think that it would be very good for her and I would be so grateful to you.’

  The thought of being able to do something to please Felicity brought a sparkling look to Bonnie’s eyes, and she glanced across at Amy and Veronica. Amy saw her looking and smiled, but the scowl that Veronica gave her was most unpleasant!

  ‘Yes, I see what you mean,’ she said at once. ‘Of course, I’ll be happy to do that for you, Felicity. But I’m only doing it as a favour, because you are my real friend, and no one else could ever take your place with me – not even Amy.’

  Amy, for her part, had thoroughly enjoyed her little chat with Bonnie. If she was honest with herself, she had little in common with Veronica, and didn’t even like the girl very much. Really, she had only palled up with her because there was no one else, and Veronica did so enjoy listening to Amy’s tales of her grand home and family. Veronica also made no secret of her admiration, and this was very pleasant to Amy. But it would be nice to have Bonnie as a friend too, and talk about things like clothes and hair-dos, which Veronica knew very little about. Amy thought that she would get Bonnie to make her one of her exclusive dresses too, just as she had got Veronica to make her bed every morning. Felicity had ticked the two of them off about
it at first, but at last she had realised that she couldn’t very well force Amy to make her own bed, and that if she put her foot down the girl would probably just leave it with the sheets in a muddled heap. And that would result in an order mark for the whole form, so in the end Felicity gave up, though she wasn’t happy about it, as she felt that Veronica and Amy had got one over on her.

  Bonnie lost no time in getting to work, going up to Amy in the dormitory as the third formers got ready for bed and saying, ‘Amy, I simply must show you a new way of braiding your hair in the morning. I learned how to do it in the holidays, and I think it would really suit you.’

  ‘I think Amy’s hair looks lovely the way it is,’ interrupted Veronica rudely, looking coldly at Bonnie. But Amy brushed her aside and said, ‘Oh, thank you, Bonnie. I do so hate having to tie my hair back for school, and it’s always nice to find a new way of doing it.’

  And soon the two of them were gabbling away about hair-dos, while Veronica stood to one side, looking so put out that Felicity felt a little sorry for her. But soon it was time for lights-out and Felicity called out, ‘Come along, Bonnie, into bed now. You and Amy can carry on your conversation in the morning.’

  Within moments all the girls were in bed, most of them falling asleep immediately. Felicity had expected Bonnie, who had never been separated from her mother before, to feel homesick, and had dreaded that the girl would cry herself to sleep. But there wasn’t a peep out of her, much to Felicity’s surprise and relief.

  But it was some time before Felicity herself managed to get to sleep, for Bonnie turning up so unexpectedly had really shaken her. And what if her plan to get the girl to chum up with Amy failed? Veronica certainly wouldn’t want Bonnie tagging along, and would do her best to push her out. Then Bonnie would follow Felicity around like a lost puppy, making her friendship with Susan difficult, and life at Malory Towers much less enjoyable. Felicity sighed and turned over in her bed. Blow! Why did Bonnie have to turn up now? Just as things seemed to be going so well!