The following afternoon a staff meeting was called.
"Stick all the tables together and shove the chairs round them," Nancy Wilmot ordered as various mistresses sat idly, looking, as she told them, as if they expected this to be a coffee-and-gossip session.
"That sounds very official, Nance!" Kathie Ferrars grinned. "What do you know that we don't?"
"I took the message, remember," her friend returned as she skidded a table across the floor with small regard for the carpet. "Hilda didn't sound unofficial, I promise you!"
"Probably just half term arrangements," Sharlie Andrews chipped in as she helped Ruth Derwent move the big chair used by Miss Annersley on these occasions to the head of the newly formed long table.
"Could be. Myself, I think it's more about school security after the disappearance of young Val."
"That would be a good idea," Leonie said, and they turned to look at her.
She was in an ambiguous position; she was one of the older members, and yet at the same time she was the most junior mistress. Therefore, she did not fit in with either the long established mistresses who were her contemporaries, or with those who were nearer to her in the staff room hierarchy. As a result, she tended to remain silent, and her comment now attracted more attention than she had meant it to.
"I'm sure we did all we could!" Rosalie Dene put in, rather sharply for her, and Nancy regarded the school secretary with startled eyes.
"We did, and Leonie didn't mean it that way," Ruth put in smoothly, anxious to avoid a contretemps when the Head was expected at any moment. Not, she reflected, that she could see Leonie Hastur engaged in any kind of scrap, but the normally placid Rosalie was evidently on edge.
"Personally, I think that a discussion on security would be a very good idea. I do not want to repeat the experience of last week, and I'm sure the rest of you don't! In fact," the Senior English mistress continued energetically, "if Hilda doesn't bring it up, I think I will!"
"You needn't worry, Ruth," the Head said from the doorway. "You are correct. I do wish us to think about improving our arrangements, especially in the light of the upcoming Half Term."
"I thought you might cancel it," mentioned Linda Stone, one of the youngest in the Staff Room.
"And have a revolution? No thanks!" Nancy grinned.
Hilda Annersley smiled, and they all relaxed. It had been a long time since the Head had been seen to smile, and her tensity had communicated itself to the rest of them.
"I doubt the girls would do anything so violent, Nancy. Besides, we have had Half Terms at school before, as you well know!"
"Only last term," Nancy agreed placidly.
"Mrs Jarley," Rosalind Yolland was heard to murmur quietly to herself, and a general grin went round- except for Leonie, who naturally did not understand the allusion.
"Well, there won't be any Mrs Jarley this term," the Head told them briskly, with a quick twinkle at Rosalind, who was an Old Girl. "Regardless of the situation with Flavia, we are going to have our normal expeditions. In fact, it would be very difficult to do otherwise, as the school at large is unaware of the Flavia issue."
"They might think that you don't want any more kidnappings and leave it at that," Rosalind Moore chipped in.
"They might, and I don't- heaven forbid!- but I think that we've already had too much attention drawn to us. If we cancel Half Term, the girls would chatter, and they might be overheard. A change of plan like that would confirm beyond all reasonable doubt that we do indeed have Flavia Letton here."
-That has already been confirmed, Leonie thought drily. But she was careful to shield the thought.
"Will Flavia go on a trip?" Kathie Ferrars demanded.
The Head's brow creased a little. "I haven't decided," she admitted. "Naturally, I would prefer that she go- if only because I understand that once all this is resolved, her father may choose to withdraw her- and I'd like her to have the opportunity to see something of Switzerland. On the other hand-" She paused, and the Staff nodded in understanding. After the escapade with Val, there was no further need to elaborate.
"I think she should go," Leonie said suddenly, as a flash of precognition came to her.
Rosalie sniffed, but Miss Annersley looked at the other woman questioningly.
"Do you believe she would be more vulnerable here?"
"I'm not sure, Miss Annersley. But I do think that she would be in greater danger here, at school- especially if the building is virtually empty- than she would be on a well-supervised trip."
Hilda nodded thoughtfully. This was a valid point. All the same- the Head shook herself mentally. She was becoming paranoid. For all they knew, the gang had decided after their abortive attempt to kidnap Flavia that the girl was not, after all, at the Chalet School. Perhaps they had moved on.
"I see. Well, I'll think about it. Like I say, I'd prefer that she go, but as several people have to stay in any case because of San contacts, it may be possible to make arrangements with Jo."
"Couldn't she take any stragglers?" Nancy suggested, leaning her chin on her clasped hands.
"I'm sure she would if I asked it, but don't you think she has enough on at the moment, Nancy? If she suggests it herself, I won't say no, but I don't want to initiate the idea."
"So that means that some of us need to stay here," Rosalind Moore observed, and her Headmistress nodded at her.
"Exactly. Therefore, since we appear to have started this meeting on this point, we may as well continue. Rosalie, will you read out the duty lists, please."
With a smile towards her superior, Rosalie nodded and fished out the requisite list. "OK. Nancy and Kathie, the Middles will have to do without you for once. You're both off this Half Term. You too, Jeanne. The rest of you, I'm sad to say, will be on various trips as usual and I'll pin the lists up on the notice-board. Oh, and Hilda, Gwynneth, Leonie and I will stay here. That suit?"
Everyone agreed it did, and Leonie looked carefully at the Head to find that lady watching her. As their eyes met, Hilda smiled, and Leonie knew that the other woman had remembered their conversation at the very beginning of term, and had decided to keep Leonie at school on the off chance that Flavia, too, would stay.
After that, the meeting moved on to discuss security measures, but no-one could agree on any one set of ideas. Some people argued that tightening the rules would make everything uncomfortable, whereas others insisted that there should be greater control over the movement across school grounds made by those individuals who were not, strictly speaking, part of the school community.
This thought, too, was quashed when Rosalie observed, rather sarcastically for her, that if they followed that plan, she would not be the one to explain to Joey Maynard. After that, the meeting rather lapsed, and was closed in short order.
As it happened, a telegram arrived from Inspector Letton on the Wednesday afternoon before Half Term, and that settled the question of Flavia, at any rate. Miss Annersley then sent for Len and Leonie, having noted that the two had become close, and knowing that, in their own ways, each was concerned about the whole Flavia situation.
"Flavia will stay at school," the Head began, rather abruptly, once the prefect and junior mistress were comfortably settled.
"Oh, poor Copper! That's hard lines on her," Len exclaimed.
Miss Annersley smiled at her. "Flavia knows, Len. I don't think you need worry. I told her that her father- step-father, rather- is coming for the day and she was so delighted at the prospect of seeing him that I don't think she regrets the trip."
"All the same, she'll miss the rest of her gang," Len declared. She thought for a moment, and then met her brevet-aunt's eyes. "Actually, Auntie Hilda, would-would it be possible for me to stay too? I've been on our trip before."
Leonie glanced quickly at Len and the girl nodded, almost imperceptibly. Miss Annersley, who had observed the whole exchange, sat back in her chair and looked at them thoughtfully.
"I don't see why you shouldn't, Len," the Head began slowly. "As you say, you've been before, and, as you live here, you can go again. But why should you wish to? I think," she continued swiftly, "that there is more going on here than I know of. Am I correct?"
Len looked acutely uncomfortable, and the Head suppressed a smile.
"Well?" she said, her tone reminding Len of sundry encounters in her Middles days.
"I just thought that if I stayed here, Copper and I could spend time at home with the babies and all," Len managed at last.
Miss Annersley nodded. "As it happens, your mother has offered to have all of the stragglers over during the day, and I'm sure she'd be glad of your help. But that still doesn't answer my question! Why do you feel this responsibility towards Copper?"
Len shrugged. "'Cos I've known all along, I suppose," she said, sounding younger than her eighteen years. It was deliberate; she wanted to disarm her brevet aunt and avoid more questions. If Auntie Hilda continued, Len knew she'd end up spilling the beans.
Miss Annersley looked at her keenly. She knew the girl very well- perhaps better than Len herself quite realised, and she knew it was unusual for Len to withold personal information in this way.
Then she looked at Leonie, who was sitting, silent and impassive. Hilda Annersley suppressed another smile. How many times had she herself sat, in just that manner, in the staffroom or whilst listening to the girls chatter amongst themselves? It was, Hilda knew, an invaluable way of gaining information. Which begged the question. What did Leonie want to know, or already know?
"Do you think something will happen this weekend?" Hilda asked Leonie, remembering the latter's comments at staff meeting.
Leonie looked grave. "I think it will, Hilda. I would urge you again- send Flavia away."
"Does it matter so much?" the Head asked curiously, and Leonie smiled rather oddly.
"I am not sure. Perhaps you are right and it does not."
She had to repress a shudder as she remembered that a trap matrix had almost certainly been set on Val Gardiner- and Flavia was in the same form! No. Hilda Annersley was right- Flavia would be better off well away from Val- at least until Leonie managed to think how to disarm the trap matrix- supposing she could. They were notoriously difficult to defeat, given their nature.
Miss Annersley sighed. "I'm not getting very far, am I? I'll simply take it as read that there could be difficulties this weekend and behave accordingly."
"Make sure you are never out of reach of help," Leonie said, rather suddenly.
The Head looked startled, and laughed a little. "Leonie! Do you really think someone would walk in off the street, as it were, and attack me?"
"There is more than one way to be attacked," Leonie told her soberly. "You are expecting Inspector Letton, aren't you? What time should he arrive?"
"Tomorrow at noon," the Head replied after checking her timetable for this week.
Leonie nodded. "Very well, I will be in the office with Rosalie. Len, I want you here too."
To Hilda's surprise, Len nodded, looking as grave as the junior mistress.
"What about Flavia?" she asked.
Leonie frowned. "If she stays- as I think she will- keep her with you at all times, Len. It wouldn't hurt to do some work with her, just to prepare her-" She broke off.
"Half Term is a holiday here," Miss Annersley interrupted at that point, a hint of steel in her lovely voice. "Len knows this well, even if you don't, Miss Hastur. May I enquire why Len and Flavia should be working together in any case?"
Leonie sighed, and in unprecedented gesture, she leaned across the table to brush Hilda's hand with her fingertips. "I will tell you, I promise," she said, holding the other woman's eyes with hers. "I dare not tell you more now, for I could be wrong, but- if I am not, too much knowledge could endanger you."
"But Len knows, and she's a child!" the Head protested.
Len looked indignant, but Leonie continued almost as if she was not there. "Len is only a girl. They have no reason to target her at the moment. You, on the other hand, are in the front line. You have a saying here, I believe: knowledge is power. That is true, but it can also be dangerous."
"Because of the kidnappers," the Head repeated, not at all satisfied.
Leonie hesitated, but then said, "Yes, if you like."
"Very well," Miss Annersley said again. "I see you will say no more, Leonie Hastur. I will trust you- trust you both, for I can see for myself than Len is as deeply involved in this as you are. I ask you one thing: do nothing to endanger her."
"If anything happens to me, it won't matter anymore," Len told her softly- if cryptically. Then she dropped the regulation curtsy- only it was deeper, and more formal, than normal- and quietly left the room without seeking permission.
"I will do my best," Leonie promised. She rose in her turn, and, for the first time, smiled. "You are a brave woman, Hilda Annersley." She lifted her hands in a curious movement, and bowed before leaving the room in her turn.
It was only that evening, whilst researching Ancient Egypt for the purpose of teaching the story of Joseph, that Hilda saw a tomb relief depicting an Egyptian lifting his hands in the same motion. There it was one of greeting- but also, perhaps, a blessing? Feeling more perturbed than ever, Hilda put away the book and went to bed, seeking forgetfulness in sleep.
