Caroline was returning from assembly when she saw the back of Kate disappearing into her classroom.
"Kate. Kate. Miss McKenzie." She shouted after her and walked briskly, putting her foot in the door before Kate had the chance to close it. She turned round quickly and glared at Caroline, still angry at her for her behaviour the night before in the car park.
"Yes Dr Elliot. What can I do for you?"
"Do you have a minute please?"
Kate followed her back down the corridor and into her office. She didn't have much to say to Caroline but was willing to hear her out.
Caroline closed the door behind her and walked straight over to her desk leaving Kate standing near the door.
"I'm making a bit of a habit of this aren't I? Saying the wrong thing and upsetting you. And then we part on a sour note and I apologise. How can I make it up to you?"
"I am not sure that you can Caroline. I wanted to give you a chance because I like you, I really do, and I know that you are scared and apprehensive and admitting this to yourself is a big thing for you. But how many chances do I need to give you?"
Caroline sat down and leaned forward, placing her hands on the desk in front of her. She clasped them together.
"Don't say that Kate. I am trying, really I am. I want this to happen, to work. But I don't know what I am supposed to do, how I am supposed to act."
Kate put her hands in her cardigan pocket and walked over to the other side of her desk.
"You need to act as though you want to be with me, as though you care about me. That would be a good starting point. I get the feeling that you're not really bothered. Oh, the kisses are nice but how do I know you aren't enjoying them because you are lonely and they make you feel wanted?"
Caroline pushed herself back from her desk and stood up.
"That's not true Kate. I think we have something special, you and me. We just need to work together and, well, you need to help me, to tell me what to do."
"I can't tell you that. Well, I can but it would be, OK, you need to do what comes naturally Caroline. You are stood here now looking at me. What are you thinking? What do you want to do? And please don't say that you want me to help you sift through that pile of letters on your desk or you want me to put those files back."
Caroline blushed.
"Don't be daft. That's what I have Beverley for. Really? You want me to tell you what I want you to do?"
Kate nodded.
"Yes, really."
"I, oh, I I err I want to "
"Go on." Kate folded her arms and raised her eyebrows.
"I want to, oh God, I want to kiss you. Yes, I want to kiss you and then I want to" and Caroline walked over to Kate and whispered something in her ear.
"Well, a kiss would be possible right now but I am not sure about the other thing."
And she stood and looked at Caroline and waited while she took her in her arms and kissed her. The kiss was passionate and hungry and Caroline allowed herself to get lost in the moment. Her hands slid down Kate's body and she gently caressed her back and then moved up to her neck. She pulled her head towards her and her kisses reached a new height. Felling brave, she timidly explored Kate's lips with her tongue and was excited by the reaction she got. Breathless and hardly able to breathe, she stepped back from Kate and looked at her.
Throughout the kiss, Kate had stood motionless responding only to the feel of Caroline's lips. In the space of 5 minutes, Caroline had affirmed something with her. She had been right to spurn Sophie's advances. She was young and flirty and probably saw Kate as a bit of a conquest, another notch on the bedpost. Caroline was the total opposite. They were like chalk and cheese.
Kate walked over to the conference table, pulled one of the chairs out and sat down. Caroline sat opposite her crossing her legs and leaning slightly forward. She couldn't hide the smile on her face and she stared at Kate, mentally thinking of all the things she would like to do to her. Right there.
Kate broke into her thoughts.
"So, how do you think it went this morning? Do you think the children were sold by my campaign speech? I saw one or two of them nudging each other and nodding."
Caroline reached out and stroked Kate's arm.
"I think you did very well. I was very proud of you. It has been a while since we had a choir so most of the children won't remember it. You did an excellent job. We just need to wait for them to sign up. Mickey Mouse has already put his name on the sheet on the notice board and I noticed that there was also Wayne Rooney. I didn't know he could sing."
Kate laughed.
"I am sure there are some excellent voices out there amongst the genuine names and I am excited to be working with them. Wednesday should be quite a day."
"What are, err, have you any, would would would you like to come round for dinner tonight? I could cook a roast and do my Yorkshire puddings and you could, well, you could meet the boys and get to know them a little bit and, oh, Kate is this too soon for you?"
Caroline suddenly felt confused and excited and apprehensive all at once. One minute she was holding back as though she were being asked to jump into a burning building and the next she was steaming ahead like an express train. No wonder Kate was acting the way she was with her. She started to back track a little.
"That is only if you are free and you want to."
Kate looked at her, her eyes shining and her smile widening.
"Only if you want me there! Yes, that would be lovely, thank you. Do you want me to bring anything, dessert perhaps?"
"Yes, yes, that would be very nice. Would 7pm be OK for you?"
"Perfect."
And Kate leaned forward and stole one last chaste kiss from her.
"Thank you. Thank you for being you. And thank you for trying."
And she left Caroline staring at her rear view while she walked down her office and went back to her own.
Later that day, Kate was stood in the staff room making a cup of coffee when she sensed someone behind her, someone very close. She slowly turned around and her nose almost collided with Sophie's cheek.
"Ooo, Miss McKenzie. Trying to kiss me here, in front of everyone. I really underestimated you."
Kate blushed and stepped sideways.
"You don't give up do you? You really are incredible do you know that. Miss Brightman, did you want something?" Her voice was harsh and her demeanour cool.
"Why thank you Miss McKenzie. I am pretty incredible aren't I? I will take that as a compliment. No, no I didn't want anything in particular. I just wanted to make sure that you haven't changed your mind since last night."
"No I haven't. I thought I had made myself very clear. I am not interested and I will never change my mind."
Kate looked past her and her eyes scanned to room to see if anyone else was paying attention to their conversation. They all seemed to be engaged in other things.
"I really don't understand you Kate. When we were at your house the other day, we almost, well you know, we were on the grass and if little Miss Frosty hadn't have come in, I am not sure that we would have been able to control ourselves. And then the way you kissed me in your office was, well, that really was something else. Wow!"
Kate pulled Sophie to one side and lowered her voice to a mere whisper.
"How many times do I have to say this? The thing at my house, well, it was just a bit of fun. And the kiss was a mistake. A big mistake and I wish I had never indulged you. You are not my type Sophie. You are young and immature and you just don't do it for me. I prefer the more mature woman, one that has actually grown up. Now I would really appreciate it if left me alone in future."
Sophie looked stunned but she licked her bottom lip and pushed her shoulders back. She didn't want Kate to know that she had knocked her off guard and that the rejection bothered her.
"Still no harm in trying though is there. Call me if you ever change your mind."
And with the audacity of someone who knew they were attractive and appealing, she tossed her head and walked away. Kate was sure she was wiggling her hips extra hard to entice her but she turned away and stirred her coffee, watching the granules dissolving. How dare she?
She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Who the hell did Miss Kate McKenzie think she was? No one every turned down Sophie Brightman, no one.
The title of Princess Sophie was one which was she had earned and was well deserved. She was an only child born to a couple when they were in their early 40s and who had given up any chance of ever having children. Her upbringing was privileged and she had learned from a very early age that she could have anything she wanted if she asked for it and pouted enough.
Privately educated, she had done as little as she could get away with to scrape by with the accepted grades, only just managing to make it to University. She treated her time there as one big, long party and it was only by pure luck than anything that she graduated with any sort of honours.
Boys thought Sophie was stuck up and she always maintained that she was out of their league. She had a reputation for being a bit of a tease but in truth, she was battling with her sexuality. When she reached 18, she admitted to herself that she was gay. It still wasn't common knowledge among family and friends and no one knew for sure because she had never answered the question directly when she was asked.
Sophie had always had a small circle of friends and even those she thought she could rely on were only associated with her because she was generous with her money. In short, Sophie was a spoilt young woman who had no real friends and was disliked because she was manipulative and selfish.
Because she was used to getting her own way, having her advances spurned was not something that people normally did to her, whether they were male or female. Sophie was more than annoyed and she made up her mind there and then to show Kate that she had made a big mistake. No one messed with her feelings and got away with it.
Putting on a layer of bright red lipstick, she unfastened the top 2 buttons of her polo shirt, pulled her hair out of the pony tail and shook it until it cascaded onto her shoulders. Taking one last look at herself, she walked out of the toilets and back into the staffroom.
Mr Howarth was sat on his own reading a newspaper and she brazenly walked over to him and perched on the arm of his chair.
"So Tom, what did you think about Kate's little speech this morning, that choir thing. I thought she did a pretty rubbish job to be honest."
Tom folded the paper up and looked at her, surprised to see the difference that a bit of lipstick could make.
"I thought she was very well prepared. It will be great to have a competition choir again. The last one had some fantastic opportunities and got to travel all over the country competing. In fact, they went to the finals in Disneyland Paris 2 years ago and were just narrowly pipped to the post by some posh Catholic school from north west London."
Sophie sneered.
"She probably just wants to get the older girls on their own so that she can, you know, she can teach them a few things. She's gay Kate McKenzie. Did you know that?"
Tom twisted round in his chair so that he was facing Sophie.
"Yes, I did know. But Kate is not the only gay member of staff we have at Sulgrave. Half the people in here probably bat for the other side."
"Yes but half the others haven't attempted to kiss me. She did you know. She kissed me the other day." Sophie lifted her head and looked around to see if anyone else was paying attention. Her voice was raised and she started to twist her hair around her finger.
"Yes, in her classroom. Kate kissed me. I told her to stop, I told her that I didn't want her to do it but she carried on."
Tom stared at Sophie.
"These are very serious allegations Miss Brightman. Are you saying that Miss McKenzie made inappropriate advances to you, unwanted inappropriate advances, in her classroom?"
Sophie quivered her bottom lip and looked back at Tom with big doe eyes. She blinked her eyes very hard a couple of times until they were wet and shiny.
"Yes she did. And I am not sure what to do about it. What do you suggest?"
"I suggest that you go and see Dr Elliott and tell her what happened. Are you in the union because you ought to take a union member with you.
Sophie wasn't sure whether she wanted to take things that far. She wanted to start a rumour going around school that would give Kate a bad reputation but she wasn't sure that she wanted Dr Elliott involved.
Tom sensed her reluctance and mistook it for fear.
"Don't worry, it will be fine. In fact, I will go and see Dr Elliott for you and tell her what you have just told me if you want. Don't look scared. We will sort this out."
And Tom pushed himself up out of the chair and walked to the staffroom door.
"Leave it to me."
And Sophie gently smiled as Tom left the room. Perhaps it was right to involved Dr Elliott after all. She had Tom eating out of her hands. This was going to be easier than she thought.
Caroline took her glasses off and looked directly at Tom.
"So erm so you are saying that that Miss McKenzie, that Kate kissed, that she forced herself onto Miss Brightman in her office and she err, she kissed her?"
Tom nodded.
"That's the gist of it, yes. Sophie said she wanted her to stop but she carried on. I think that perhaps she has mistaken Sophie's hand of friendship for something else. I mean, come on, Sophie isn't a lesbian. She is gorgeous. Why would she want to get it from a woman when she could have any man she wanted?"
Caroline placed her hands on the edge of the desk and extended her arms, grabbing on tightly to stop herself from exploding. Her nostrils flared and she took deep breaths through her nose. When she was feeling a little calmer, she relaxed her arms and moved forward again, her palms flat on the table, her body leaning over.
"And what does a lesbian look like Mr Howarth? Do they wear Doc Martins and have short hair and lots of piercings? Do I look like a lesbian? What about Miss Worthington, Miss Brightman for that matter."
Tom laughed.
"Don't be ridiculous. You are married for one thing. Miss Worthington, well, I'm not really sure about her but I would say that she wasn't gay either because she doesn't look gay. And Miss Brightman. Sophie. Of course she isn't gay. If she was, why would she be complaining that Miss McKenzie has kissed her."
"I don't know, you tell me. But you are wrong. Wrong on all counts Tom. You can't tell someone's sexuality just by looking at them. You are so typical of a lot of people and that is why parts of society is bad. That is why there is still so much homophobic bullying going on in schools, in pubs and clubs, in the streets. Gay people have been stereotyped and this needs to change. Miss McKenzie doesn't have short hair and I bet she doesn't own a pair of Doc Martins. But she is gay. And that is perfectly fine. She came and told me about it in her first week and I am totally alright with it. And you can close your mouth now because you look very very stupid."
"But you are, you just said that"
"I know what I just said Tom. And no, you didn't hear me wrong. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to speak to Kate and I need to speak to Sophie. You have just made a very serious allegation and I need to get to the bottom of this and see if there is any truth in the matter. Thank you Tom."
She watched him walk out of her office and lay her head on her hands letting out a muffled noise somewhere between a growl and a scream. There was no turning back now.
Caroline sat back in her chair and clasped her hands together, resting them on her stomach. She leaned her head back and sighed.
Why would Tom Howarth come to her with an allegation if there wasn't any truth in it? She had known him for a good few years now and had never had any problems with him. He got on with his work and wasn't one of her staff members who was difficult. This was hard. It felt like her life had just been blown out of the water. She would know more once she had spoken to Sophie and Kate but she felt betrayed and let down. How could Kate do this to her? Her head was telling her one thing and her heart was telling her another and she was being pulled in 2 totally different directions. She wanted to believe Tom because he was an old friend but she also wanted to believe that it wasn't true because she thought she might be starting to fall in love with Kate.
Caroline was so out of practice with forging new relationships and this one with Kate was proving difficult. She was mentally exhausted from trying to figure out what she wanted, what Kate wanted and trying to make it all gel together.
She was suddenly reminded of the meal she had planned to cook for Kate that evening. She was so looking forward to it and now it looked like it would have to be cancelled. How could she have dinner with Kate out of school when she was just about to haul her into her office for a meeting to investigate her conduct?
Picking up her office phone, Caroline rang through to Beverley.
"Can you ask Miss Brightman to come to my office immediately please and then I would like to see Miss McKenzie. Cancel any appointments that I have. These meetings must take priority."