Journey of a Girl

A Proper Education: Chapter Eleven

Penny was not at breakfast.

Or in lessons.

Or at dinner.

Instead of returning to her sleeping quarters with the rest of the students, Credence slipped away and wandered the halls, trying to remember the way back to the Headmaster's office.

Terrified of being caught by one of the domestics, who prowled the school like hunting owls, she was relieved when she found herself in front of the tall door with a carving of the towns on its face. Just as she raised her fist to knock, a gentle swishing sound caught her attention, and she turned to find a lone domestic several feet away, sweeping dust around the floor with a worn broom.

When they locked eyes, the old woman's face scrunched in disdain and she pulled the broom under her arm. She took a step forward, but Credence answered her threat by knocking loudly on the door. 

The domestic halted in her pursuit.

"Lose anymore shirts?" Credence questioned in a mocking tone.

"Enter," the Headmaster called behind the door. 

Credence flashed a triumphant smile before disappearing into the room. She wondered if the domestic knew her purpose, and if she scurried away to tell her foul sisters.

Not that it matters, Credence thought smugly.

"Credence," the Headmaster greeted in surprise.

He was sitting behind his opulent desk just like their last visit, but the setting atop it was vastly different. In place of papers and quills laid a generous feast.

The Headmaster's dinner. She had interrupted it.

The intrusion embarrassed Credence, but the Headmaster gave a warm smile and beckoned her  to approach.

"Please, come sit."

Encouraged by his pleasant greeting, Credence took her seat in the chair before the desk.

She could not keep her eyes from wandering over the food. The offerings of the school were not meager, but they paled in comparison to the mountains of decadence here. Loaves of bread, bowls of pudding, saucers of butter, and brass pitchers filled to the lip formed a winding pathway between generous servings of meat and colorful vegetables.

"Looks delicious, doesn't it," the Headmaster mused, noting the covetous stare of the girl before him.

"Smells it, too," Credence said without thinking.

The Headmaster nodded sympathetically and, to Credence's delighted surprise, plucked an empty plate from the end of the desk and offered it to her.

"If you're hungry, eat."

When his generosity was returned with an astonished look he chuckled and added, "There's more than enough for me here, Credence. Go on."

Not needing to be asked again, she began filling her plate with a little bit of everything from the spread.

"Perks of being headmaster," he said, watching his guest with amused interest.

Credence bit into a buttered roll and her eyes closed in pleasure.

"You deserve it," she said honestly.

"It's more than enough for me, yet far too little to feed the entire school. It's the only reason we don't feed everyone as generously as this. There's just not enough to go around, you see, and to treat one child above another would only create hostility and jealousy." He poured himself a mug of water before adding, "Let's keep it our little secret, shall we?"