Chapter 1 – An Interesting Development
"Hooooooooooooray!" Louisa's shriek echoed in the small confines of the Portwenn post office. A teenage girl was handing over a package to be mailed and an elderly couple had just stepped inside. Everyone turned to see what was happening. Louisa was waving a letter in the air and repeating, "I'm going … I'm going!" Suddenly, all was quiet. Was this the proper behavior for the Head Teacher of Portwenn Primary School? Louisa felt her face flush.
"Miss Glasson, is everything all right," asked Mrs. Thornberry, the postmistress.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Louisa blurted out. "So sorry," this was said much quieter.
A glance at the faces showed Louisa what they all were straining to hear. Well, what next? Where was she going?
Should she tell them her good news? Did she want this information shared around the village before the proper people were told. And she knew how fast that would happen. And who were the proper people? The board of governors of the school, of course. She no longer had relatives in Portwenn, but friends … yes, her friends should be told. Hmmmmmm. And Martin? Was he her friend? Was he more than a friend?
Quickly Louisa stuffed the letter and envelope with the ragged edges she ripped open into her purse. She called out, "Goodbye then," bobbed her head down and was out the door.
The air was filled with springtime, the fragrance of flowers now fully in bloom and the chirping of birds delighting in the completion of their return journey after winter near a southern shore. Portwenn was home to them and also to villagers whose roots went deep, deep into the past as surely as the roots of wild grasses grew in the soil at the top of cliffs and clung from cracks in the steep rocks. Louisa was such a village girl, but on her own now in this lovely seaside village where she had grown into young adulthood.
Those had not been easy years for her. Her parents had created almost nightly havoc at home until her mother had simply deserted Louisa and her father one day with a short note that she would be in touch. And two years later, they did begin to get an occasional note from her. This gave her father the freedom to continue to live a life that was not entirely responsible nor respectable, but Louisa had loved him for not abandoning her too when she was young. She did not at the moment know exactly where either one of her parents was living.
From an early age, Louisa lived through reading books of all sorts. They told of a wide world beyond Portwenn and she promised herself she would discover it for herself. Roaming the cliffs that gave way to the Atlantic Ocean, she'd holler out the names of places she'd just read about to the wind and water with a wish she'd be there someday too. As she grew, Louisa's childhood dreams of traveling the world gave way to a more realistic one as she learned to rely on herself alone.
Louisa was a star pupil at school, which became her place to receive encouragement and praise. She admired her teachers and wanted to be just like them. After finishing her schooling Louisa left Portwenn too, moving away for an education and then accepting a teaching job in London. But Louisa was back home now, using the experience she had gained in her career to lead the group of earnest teachers at the local school. After living in a big city, Louisa had happily returned to this small village of her girlhood, living her dream of being a teacher.
Louisa clutched the sheaf of papers in her arms and headed up the hill to her cozy home that overlooked Portwenn Bay. There was work from school, as usual, to finish tonight before facing more tasks tomorrow. It was just over a week until the end of the primary school year. So much to think about. The children were eager for their freedom from study and Louisa wanted them to leave school with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. All the parents were awaiting the end-of-year reports on their children's progress and the expected statement of their advancement to the next level. Louisa hoped she had displayed just the right amount of encouragement and requirements at the meeting with the teachers yesterday as she outlined what more needed to be done before they all went their separate ways for the summer holiday. These final reports on each student were to be completed in two more days and the ones with less than sterling comments about any students to be on her desk for review at that time.
She felt a headache coming on. But then … she remembered the letter hidden in her purse. The thought of it banished any headache and Louisa hurried home to do what she had to do.
