Rudge nodded, though she didn’t meet our teacher’s eyes. “I can bring you up some bread and butter. I’m afraid that’s all I can manage with the kitchen closed. My husband is very particular about these things.”
Mrs Knight looked sympathetic. Miss Bowler looked like she was about to eat the reception desk.
“I’d love some bread and butter, actually,” Scarlet said to me under her breath. “Much better than stew.”
My stomach growled, and I had to agree.
“This way, please,” said Mrs Rudge.
She led us out of the reception area and along a dark corridor which we all trod in a line, like ducks following their mother. We were too tired for chatter. The walls were dark wood, the carpets plush and red. There was a staircase, with sconces going up it – some of the candles lit, others not. I wondered if they’d never been lit in the first place, or if a draught had blown them out.
There were three floors, not unlike Rookwood, though I wasn’t sure if the hotel was quite the size of our imposing school. But then it was dark, and how much of it had we actually seen? Once we’d made it to the top, Mrs Rudge went along unlocking all the doors and lighting the lamps, while Mrs Knight peered at her clipboard with the room assignments on it.
We leant against the wall as we waited for our names to be called. There were portraits running all the way down the stairs – portraits of long-dead strangers, as far as I could tell. I tried not to imagine that they were staring at me.
“Ivy Grey, Scarlet Grey,” Mrs Knight called from further down the corridor. “Ariadne Flitworth and, erm …” she lowered the clipboard. “Rose?”
Rose’s gaze flicked down to the floor, but she said nothing. If she had a surname, she wasn’t giving it away.
“This one here, please,” said Mrs Knight.
“That’s not fair, Miss,” Elsie whined as we made our way up the staircase past the other girls. “How come they get the big room? I thought it was ours?”
I was surprised that she’d made such an outburst in front of the teachers, but I supposed she was as tired as the rest of us. Luckily Miss Bowler was dropping off her bags into the teachers’ room at the other end of the corridor at that point, otherwise she probably would’ve bellowed a reply and woken the whole hotel.
“I’ve tried to put everyone together with their friends,” said Mrs Knight patiently. “And I’ve had to rearrange since we’ve lost Betty and gained Rose. No arguments, please.”
“Yeah,” said Scarlet, pulling a face at Elsie. “No arguments.”
We took our bags over to the open door where Mrs Knight stood, and peered in.
The room was huge, much bigger than our dorm rooms back at school. Dark red striped wallpaper coated the walls, and heavy curtains hung at the windows. And the beds! There were two enormous four-poster beds, each with cream drapes.
“Oh my word,” Scarlet exclaimed. It was the fanciest bedroom I’d ever seen, and I knew she was thinking the same.
“Oh, it looks just like my bedroom at home!” said Ariadne, beaming.
“Of course it does,” said Scarlet, giving her a friendly jab in the arm.
Rose wandered in, staring around at everything, fascinated. I followed her and dropped my bag to the floor. It only took a moment for Scarlet to run in and start bouncing on the bed.
“Wheee!” she cried, the mattress creaking as she jumped.
Miss Bowler’s face suddenly appeared in the doorway. “Stop that!”
Scarlet slowed her bouncing to a halt and then plopped down on to the covers. Miss Bowler marched on down the corridor.
There was furniture in the room too, big, heavy wooden pieces that looked like they were from the last century. And perhaps the strangest thing was a bath, in front of the windows. Not just a tin bath either, but a real bath with taps and silver clawed feet. “Look at this!” I said, walking over to it.
“Goodness,” said Ariadne. “A bath in a bedroom? Well, I don’t have that.”
It looked quite old, and it reminded me a little of the baths at Rookwood, but it was more ornate and expensive-looking. I turned the tap to test it, and listened as the pipes clunked below. There was an empty moment, and then the water began to gush out. It was a slightly odd colour, with leafy fragments in it.
“Urgh,” I said. “That doesn’t look right.”
Ariadne pointed out of the window. “Lake water, I think,” she said. “It would make sense. I expect that’s the easiest way to get it.” I followed her finger and looked out at the view. Even in the dark it looked impressive – a vast body of black water, the moon shimmering on the surface.
“Yuck,” said Scarlet. I looked over at her. She was now lying flat out on the bed like a starfish. “Do you think we have to drink that?”
“I expect they boil it first,” said Ariadne hopefully. Rose giggled.
There was a knock at the open door, and we looked round to see Mrs Rudge standing there with a tray. “Some bread and butter for you, girls,” she said. We all dashed over to her. I didn’t think I’d ever seen Ariadne move so fast. “There will be more food tomorrow at breakfast.”
We all took some and ate hungrily. It tasted marvellous – bread and butter was a rare treat, and it reminded me of living with Aunt Phoebe. I tried my best not to spill crumbs all over the plush carpet.
“I could get used to this,” said Scarlet through a mouthful of bread.
“So which beds shall we take?” Ariadne asked when we’d finished munching.
“I think Scarlet’s already claimed that one,” I said, pointing at the one that had been thoroughly bounced on. “So I suppose that’s me as well.”
“Don’t talk in your sleep,” said Scarlet.
“Don’t kick me!” I shot back.
“All right then,” said Ariadne with a smile, “Rose and I will have this one.”
“It’s lovely.” It took me a moment to realise who was speaking, since she was usually so silent. Rose was beaming. I supposed it wasn’t long ago that all she’d had was an old straw mattress on the floor of the school basement, where Violet had hidden her. And before that, a hospital bed. And the rooms at Rookwood didn’t exactly offer grand luxury either.
“LIGHTS OUT IN TEN MINUTES!” came a voice that was instantly recognisable as Miss Bowler’s. “LAVATORIES ARE DOWN THE HALL!”
“Could you … keep it down a little, perhaps? We have other guests,” I heard Mrs Rudge respond. I wasn’t actually sure if Miss Bowler could, though. Loud seemed to be her natural volume. And were there other guests, even? I hadn’t seen any.
We all pulled out our nightdresses
