A long moment passed as the headmistress seemed to struggle to decide what to say.
‘The history of Nathaniel’s obsession is long,’ Isabelle said. ‘And if I try to explain it now we’ll be here for hours. But you should know that you are not what he really wants. What he really wants … is me.’
‘You?’ Allie stared. ‘I don’t get it.’
Isabelle rubbed her fingertips against her temples. ‘It really would take me ages to tell you the whole story but, suffice it to say, he and I have very different views on how the world should be run. But I have Lucinda’s ear, so my views hold more sway. She doesn’t always do what I tell her but she listens to me.’ She picked up her teacup and took a reflective sip. ‘And that is what Nathaniel is trying to change.’
Her brow creased with thought, Allie tried to put the pieces of the trouble together. ‘I’m sorry but I still don’t understand. What exactly does he want?’
‘Don’t apologise. Nathaniel’s obsession is a kind of madness. So not understanding it is logical.’ Isabelle’s smile was sad. ‘He doesn’t want Cimmeria. He wants to use the school as a stepping stone. You see, what he really wants is the larger organisation of which Cimmeria and Night School are just a small part. Lucinda is head of that organisation. And I am her closest advisor.’ She studied Allie as if trying to ascertain if she understood the import of what she was saying. ‘We are a powerful group, Allie … and he wants it all.’
‘How would Cimmeria help him get the organisation?’
‘It’s hard to explain, but the Cimmeria is where it all began – it’s the heart, if you will, of the group. The Cimmeria Board doesn’t just run the school, those same people run the entire organisation. We are at the core of it all.’ Isabelle made a sweeping gesture with her arms. ‘So if he can get rid of me he can then eliminate Lucinda. Then he thinks the board will put him in charge. It’s a mad plan but he believes it will work. That’s what he’s working on, that’s what he’s been doing – trying to make it appear that I can’t even control a school or protect my students …’ The tendons in her throat tightened as her voice trailed off. ‘Well,’ she said after a second. ‘You get the idea.’ She reached over and straightened a pile of papers at the edge of her desk. ‘You are a pawn on his playing board. And I am the rook. Protecting the queen.’
‘Queen Lucinda,’ Allie murmured, thoughtfully. She looked up at the headmistress. ‘Why does he hate you and Lucinda so much?’
Isabelle’s gaze was chilly. ‘That,’ she said with finality, ‘is a conversation for another time.’
‘But,’ Allie persisted, her mind whirring through the possible escape routes, ‘surely Lucinda can stop him? If you tell her what’s happened and that I’m in danger … She wouldn’t want bad things to happen to me. Surely she’d help?’
An uncomfortable pause fell.
‘Lucinda is aware of what’s been occurring.’ Isabelle’s tone was careful. ‘And she is not willing to become involved at this time.’
‘What?’ Allie couldn’t believe it. ‘Why not?’
The headmistress shot her a warning look and when she spoke she used her most authoritative tone. ‘I know you want to know everything, Allie, but just trust me when I tell you, this is complicated. Now, we must protect ourselves and not wait for a rescue from Lucinda or anybody else. So I have hired Raj and his company to protect the school. He knows more about Nathaniel than anyone. Except me.’
She said the last words so quietly Allie hardly heard them as she stared at her hands. She felt mutinous. Once again, her safety was being entrusted to other people. Once again, she was powerless. When she glanced up, Isabelle was studying her as if she knew what she was thinking.
‘And you have a role to play, Allie.’ Her voice was gentler now. ‘In London you showed tremendous calmness under pressure. You were innovative and fast. You followed my directions perfectly in a situation where very few people would have been able to do so. Based on that, as well as your vastly improved marks over the summer term, I have recommended that you be accepted into Night School on an accelerated training module.’
Allie was so excited she quit breathing. ‘I … I …’
‘Training this term will focus on self-defence, and you’ll work very closely with people who are highly skilled.’ As Isabelle reached for Allie’s hand the intensity in her eyes was almost frightening. ‘What happened to you in London should never happen again.’
FIVE
Allie hurtled out of Isabelle’s office into the hallway, fairly dancing with excitement. She turned right, then left, then stopped and spun in a circle, giddy.
Carter, she thought. I have to tell Carter.
She ran across the canvas dust sheets thinking about how great things were going to be now. She and Carter could train together. He could give her tips. They could spend loads of time together.
And we won’t have to keep secrets from each other any more.
He wasn’t in the common room. And when she yanked open the dining hall door, the empty room echoed with the ghostly sound of dishes clinking in the unseen kitchen.
As she rounded the corner towards the classroom wing, she barely avoided colliding with Rachel who was coming the other way with an armload of books.
‘Oh hi,’ Rachel said, unruffled as ever. ‘What’s up?’