As she marched down the school corridor, Caroline gave herself a sideways glance in one of the windows and smirked at her reflection.
She was looking good.
Which was hardly a surprise considering the headmistress had set her alarm an hour early so that she could apply her makeup at her dressing table in a break from her usual morning routine; a masterful juggling act that involved peering into her rear-view mirror while stopped at traffic lights and half-heartedly dabbing on mascara while trying not to rear-end the car in front.
She had deliberately power dressed in her favourite black skirt, powder blue blouse and killer heels. Her hair had been meticulously blow-dried, she was wearing her expensive moisturiser and had opened the posh perfume that she had been saving for a special occasion.
The whole effect had taken so long to put together that by the time Caroline actually left the house, she was running slightly late.
But as the blonde focused on sashaying along as though she owned the place (which she essentially did), she was sure that it would all be worth the effort.
A group of students came barrelling around the corner calling to each other excitedly. The second they clocked their headmistress' no-nonsense expression they fell silent, scattering around her like a shoal of sardines around a shark.
Caroline acknowledged them with a brief nod and strode on.
As she passed her office, she glanced through the window and caught sight of Beverley busily scribbling something down as she talked on the phone. Caroline pretended not to see the sympathetic look her secretary gave her as they briefly locked eyes.
Inside the office, Beverley ended the call and let out a long-suffering sigh, understanding immediately why the blonde looked so smart but had a face like thunder; it was Kate's last day before maternity leave.
She stood from her paperwork and set about making them both a cup of tea. It was the best thing to do in a crisis.
XXXXX
As Caroline reached the staff room the sound of laughter and excited chattering from behind the door caused a flare of irrational anger to surge within her.
The last six weeks had been torture, and the evidence that the rest of the world was busy enjoying life was doing nothing to improve her mood.
The headmistress had spent her days glimpsing Kate around the school and furtively watching her in staff meetings. For one terrible hour, she had even been forced to assess one of the younger woman's lessons.
Caroline had watched with an ache in her chest as Kate enthusiastically explained Greek mythology to some surprisingly engaged teenagers. The subject had made the brunette's face light up and all Caroline could do was muse about how lovely she looked, and how she appeared for all the world to be completely indifferent to the blonde's presence.
Every glimpse of Kate hurt, but Caroline was resigned to the fact that not seeing her at all was going to be infinitely worse. The clock had wound down; maternity leave had arrived, and after today she would not even be able to watch Kate's life from the side lines.
Instead, she would spend months catching snippets of conversations between other teachers as they chatted about how great Kate was looking, how beautiful the baby was, and how this wonderful person was moving on without her.
Caroline clenched her jaw at the thought and swung open the door a little more forcefully than she had intended. The chattering and laughter immediately died as everyone turned to look her way.
Several members of staff were standing around, holding drinks and eating cake. Kate sat in the centre of the fray holding a tiny white baby-grow, an array of bags and gifts dotted about the table in front of her. A balloon was tied to her chair and there was a 'Congratulations' banner on the wall.
Caroline took everything in with a practiced blank expression. Her eyes landed on Kate's face and her heart jolted as she thought she recognised a flicker of longing in the chocolaty eyes that skimmed admiringly over her outfit.
That tiny win gave her the confidence boost she needed, "Good morning everyone, I know it's almost the end of the week but I am sure we can celebrate Ms McKenzie's maternity leave at lunch time. Please could everyone ready themselves for assembly?"
She held open the door expectantly and there was a general murmuring of agreement as people began to file from the room, stopping to congratulate Kate on the way out.
Eventually only the two of them remained, Caroline's heart pounding with nerves as the woman she loved fixed her with serious brown eyes.
"That was a little unnecessary." Kate stated, standing up and raising an eyebrow at her.
"I'm sorry?"
Kate snorted, "The power trip, Caroline. They were only giving me a few presents, or am I not allowed to have friends anymore?"
Caroline frowned, already feeling on the back foot, "Kate, I have no intention of preventing people throwing you a party, but I won't have it interfere with the efficient running of this school."
The younger woman rolled her eyes, "Oh spare me the crap, Caroline. What is this really about?"
The blonde gave a hollow laugh, "It isn't about anything, I just want to start the day," she gestured to the door, "Assembly Hall please, Ms McKenzie."
Kate shook her head in exasperation and bustled past, leaving Caroline alone in the empty room.
The headmistress paused, hand resting on the doorknob, and briefly closed her eyes.
Well, that went about as badly as I expect the rest of this day to go.
XXXXX
The school bell finally sounded and the children in Kate's last class began cramming their poetry books into their backpacks and filtering from the room.
They waved and wished her luck on their way out, their chattering receding down the corridor as Kate turned to wipe her lesson plan from the board. She heard the door swing closed behind the final student, leaving her alone.
She put down the eraser and looked across the empty rows of desks, the sudden silence ringing in her ears. She loved this classroom – with the papier-mache poppies hanging from the ceiling and the War Poetry display pinned to the wall. It felt strange to be leaving it behind for a whole year.
It felt stranger still to be severing her last tie to Caroline. After today there would be no reason to see the other woman for twelve whole months.
The thought was strange. It had the dull ache of an old wound that would never quite heal, but Kate was gradually moving on from completely devastated and could now make room for other emotions as well; chief of which was the excitement and complete terror of becoming a mother.
Grabbing an empty cardboard box she headed to her desk and began packing up the huge array of hand drawn cards and home-made presents that were piled up in front of her.
It was one of the many things that Kate loved about teaching; the proof that the children were interested in her lessons and wanted to give something back.
She smiled as she individually placed them into the box, admiring the artwork as she went. A cross-stitched 'New Baby' print was particularly well crafted. A card with what she could only guess was a baby drawn on the front was exceptionally not well crafted. She made a mental note to steer that particular child away from any aspirations involving GCSE Art.
As the mountain of presents shrunk, Kate noticed a small gift she did not recognise nestled under the rest. The paper was beautiful and expensive looking, and the wrapping much too neat to be the work of an 11 year old.
She reached for it with slightly trembling hands, instantly recognising the elegantly looped handwriting and the lilt of the expensive fountain pen.
Taking a deep breath, Kate flipped over the tag.
I know I have no right to leave you a gift, but I couldn't let you go without a token to say goodbye. I am sorry I could not be the person you deserve. You will make a wonderful mother and your daughter will be incredibly lucky to have you. C x
Kate's hands shook as she slid her thumbnail under the expensive wrapping paper. It sprung apart to reveal a turquoise Tiffany box.
Her eyes widened as she gently pulled apart the silk bow and lifted the lid.
Inside were two perfect silver bangles – one much smaller than the other, but otherwise identical. A matching set for a mother and child.
They were beautiful and understated and so Caroline that Kate did not know whether to gaze at them forever or throw them at the wall.
Tears welled up as she picked up the smaller bracelet and traced her thumb over the cool metal. The afternoon sunlight swirling around the empty classroom glinted on the inscription;
Well-behaved women seldom make history.
Kate snorted. Trust Caroline to encourage the child to become a complete handful even when she would not be around to influence it directly.
The brunette picked up the bigger bangle to check for an inscription;
Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.
Kate rolled her eyes – it was a quote from Winnie the Pooh. She had told Caroline she was going to paint it on the wall of the nursery but the blonde had disapproved of such frivolous decoration in her pristine Georgian townhouse. Kate supposed this was her way of apologising.
She placed them back in the box with a sigh and wiped her teary eyes. It felt as though a wound that had just started to heal was opening all over again. The loneliness of missing Caroline washed over her and she longed to go in search of the headmistress.
It was only the dull ache of the previous betrayal that kept her in her seat. She had been hurt too many times by the blonde's inability to commit and nothing had changed – Kate was still about to have a child and Caroline was still not emotionally mature enough to step up and deal with that.
The brunette knew she would have to sort through her feelings at some point, but right now she put a lid on them, just as she had with the turquoise box in front of her – gently closing it and placing it alongside the glittery cards and boxes of chocolates to be dealt with another time.
She stood up and tucked the cardboard box under her arm, walking towards the exit between the rows of empty desks. Reaching the door, she paused to look back on her lovely classroom for a few seconds, before switching off the light and closing the door on that part of her life.