TIME MACHINE CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT PLUS

A/N. For part of this story, the format will be a little different but it will return to the usual third-person narrative for the last few chapters. I'm not disclosing the year in which this is set until later – I have my reasons. I think you should get a good idea of the period though.

EXTRACTS FROM ROBYN MILLER'S JOURNAL

MONDAY THE 27TH OCTOBER

Dear Journal

Alas I am back at the Evelyn Montgomery Finishing School for Young Ladies, after such an excellent holiday in Paris. It is hard, dear Journal, to come back to such a grim place after the delights of Paris. Miss Bateman, our headmistress, is as strict as ever, and Mr Griffiths – my beloved Mr Griffiths – has gone to Holby Academy for good. I had a little weep with my 'set', Alicia, Tina, Lily and Louise to make us all feel better.

Oh this loathsome school! My set and I are disgusted – Honey Wright is back for another year. Honey her name might be but she's more like vinegar. I do not know why the hag keeps coming back here, she will never be properly finished. She saw my copy of Great Expectations and sneered: "Fiction addles the mind. I shall go and read my set of encyclopaedias and educate my mind."

Oh this school surely cannot get worse. Miss Bateman has decided that my set and I are evil influences on each other and we have been split up. I am to share a room with Honey Wright! Already Miss Vitriol has sneered at my teddy bear, Grantaire. I need him to cuddle in the night when I feel unhappy.

The old – I shall say it! – bag has turned out the lights. She says they give her a migraine. I shall give her a migraine soon with a stout hammer. I loathe this school!

TUESDAY THE 28TH OCTOBER

Dear Journal,

Today was much better. Miss Bateman announced that the school is to have five new teachers; a Miss Harrison who will teach us needlework, a Mr Chiltern who will teach us singing, a Mr Hardy whose task it will be to teach us reading and drama, and Mr Knight who will teach us dancing. There will also be a doctor, Dr Keogh, who will treat our minor ailments where ever decency allows. My set and I have decided that they will all be wrinkled old prunes and we are plotting how best to annoy them. They will arrive on Friday.

Such fun! My set and I are to secretly meet in the summerhouse on Friday at the witching hour! We shall bring lanterns to celebrate All Hallows Eve, and tell each other blood-curdling stories. We shall take great care to prevent that sneak Wright from finding out. She was on at me today because I said I was becoming too plump. "It is your soul and not your earthly body that matters, Robyn Miller" she intoned in that preaching drone of hers. One day I shall punch her and risk expulsion.

THURSDAY THE 30TH OCTOBER

My set and I have a naughty plan. We shall torment Mr Knight by being as clumsy as cattle in his classes, and Mr Chiltern by acting as if we are tone-deaf. Mr Hardy we shall just cheek as much as possible, and we have not thought yet about how we shall settle Miss Harrison's hash. I must confess that I have the urge to jab a needle into that Wright sneak's eyes. I must control these wicked urges.

FRIDAY 31ST OCTOBER

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! The new teachers arrived today. Each of the men is a veritable Adonis! Miss Harrison is so pretty, too. Dr Keogh is the guardian of a little boy called Lucius – he told us he lost his wife in Paris, which made us all so sad – but it's obvious that lovely Mr Chiltern, his friend, dotes upon the little boy. Mr Hardy is kind and pleasant, and oh, Mr Knight! I cannot wait to dance with him.

I made a total hash of my needlework today but Miss Harrison was so sweet and kind to me.

"We all have different talents, Robyn" she told me kindly, "Just do your best and I shall be happy."

Later, the most shocking thing happened! We all crept out to our secret Halloween rendezvous and were all nibbling on the cake we had saved for our midnight feast, when we heard a noise. A rustling. Alicia whispered that it might be a real ghost and we all had to cover our mouths so we did not squeal aloud in fear. Then we saw who it was. Mr Hardy and Miss Harrison, who must be his sweetheart, coming out for a secret tryst too! They were kissing. Mr Hardy looks so lovely when he kisses! Well, then the shocking thing happened! Mr Hardy said "In here, sweetheart" and he and Miss Harrison entered the summerhouse and discovered our little meeting!

"Oh please don't tell Miss Bateman" I pleaded, "We should be expelled and I should die of shame!"

Mr Hardy gave us a smile that turned our innards to water and he said:

"I shall not tell her about you if you will not tell her about Miss Harrison and myself."

Then he said hopefully:

"Is there any of that nice cake left, ladies?"

We all handed over our cake like little lambs.

School is going to be wonderful this term!

MONDAY 3RD NOVEMBER

Our classes began with our wonderful dancing and singing teachers today. We have found out their Christian names! Mr Knight is Caleb, and Mr Chiltern is Benjamin! How romantic. Instead of being clumsy with Mr Knight, we are all vying with each other to be the best in Mr Knight's class. Honey Wright said she would not dance, as dancing was a sin. He told her it was a good form of exercise and added:

"While you are in my classes, Miss Wright, dance you will."

Honey said she would obtain a note from her mother saying she did not have to dance.

Mr Knight – no, this is a private journal and I WILL call him Caleb! - nodded and then said:

"But until the note arrives, you will dance. And when the note does arrive I shall show it to Miss Bateman to see how she feels about this."

I swear she stood on his toes on purpose! I wanted to kiss each of his lovely toes better.

Then it was singing with lovely Benjamin! I thought he would make us all sing dirges like "Who is Sylvia?" but he said he had a song that he had brought from his travels and wanted to teach us. Oh, such a comical song! It is about a group of friends who live in a yellow submarine! A submarine, he tells us, is a vessel used by Her Majesty's Navy. Dr Keogh – Dylan – can play the piano a little and accompanies us as we sing. He said something very strange about the submarine song: "Ben, you're warped!" Benjamin says we will sing something more serious next time, but wanted us all to become friends so he had chosen something light-hearted. Who would not be friends with such a darling! And we have Mr Hardy – Ethan – to discuss reading with us this afternoon.

I was having the most beautiful daydream about Benjamin, Dylan, Caleb and Ethan, all in love with me and my not knowing who to choose! And then that- that Vinegar Wright spoiled it by screeching:

"What are you thinking of, Robyn, with the window wide open in November! Close it at once or I shall contract pneumonia and die!"

I wish I been strong enough to throw her through the window. To be jerked out of such a divine dream by that harridan! I rage, Journal, I rage!

Tuesday 4th November

Oh I am in despair! Mr Fairhead, the History master, caught me drawing a large heart with mine and lovely Caleb's entwined. He did not guess whose initials I wrote, he just grumbled about 'some boy from the village'. I am to write an essay about Ancient Rome by Friday. I cannot! I shall receive a black mark!

(