lizziec | Demons, Part 11

The things some of you fed my muse appear to have done the trick. Here is another part (second longest part so far!)

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10

Hilda Annersley tried to conceal her annoyance at being interrupted in the middle of teaching as she entered her study. Rosalie's note had told her there was some urgency or she would never have left the class, but due to its hurried nature she was not really aware of just what a state her guest was in until she saw Jack. Then the annoyance melted away, replaced immediately by concern.

Jack looked up when he heard the noise of the Head's entrance. "Hilda..."

"Jack, you look dreadful! What on earth happened yesterday?" Hilda's voice was full of sympathy and concern.

Jack grimaced. He was unsure how best to put the facts forward. "Len is in a bad place at the moment Hilda. She went to the Auberge yesterday. Con saw her go, and somehow knew she wasn't doing so well and went after her. Len..." Jack's voice cracked and he took a moment to compose himself before continuing. "Len was going to walk off the edge. Thankfully Con got to her just in time and managed to stop her. I found them there, both completely exhausted in their own ways."

Hilda could not stop the shock from showing on her face as Jack spoke. Whatever she had expected to hear him say, it was not this. She was at a loss for words, unable to think of anything appropriate. Thankfully for the moment she did not have to, as Jack, who found that now he had started he needed to finish, continued.

"I took both girls back to the San. Con is rather traumatised, but she managed to talk and to cry, and passed a peaceful enough night. Len though... she hasn't spoken since we bought her back, barely moved, not eaten, didn't sleep until we drugged her. Matron Graves undressed her. Hilda, she was covered in bruises, self inflicted Helen thought, and so thin..."

Jack paused for a moment as he saw Hilda struggling to take it all in.

"Peters examined her, tried to talk to her," Jack began again. "He thinks that she is having some sort of breakdown." He put his head in his hands at this point. "I can't believe we didn't notice anything was wrong." His voice cracked again. An uncomfortable silence filled the study as Jack fought to regain his composure and Hilda tried to make sense of what she had just heard.

Finally, with great effort, Hilda stood and headed to her small cupboard where her own private coffee things were kept. She made them each a cup of strong, sweet coffee and saw to it that Jack drank his. While they drank, Hilda decided on the measures she would take, and talked them over with Jack. A meeting to inform the senior staff, asking Matron Lloyd to check Len's room for any evidence to the latter's state of mind before the Auberge, an assembly to tell the school that Len was ill and to ask the girls to pray, but not revealing the illness to the girls or the Junior staff. Jack nodded his assent to the measures, adding that anything that Matron could find that might help them reach Len would be very welcome. Then, much more like himself thanks to the moments he had alone while Hilda was making the coffee, and the hot sweet drink, he thanked her and left to attend to the immeasurably more difficult task of informing his wife.

Leaving Hilda to call possibly the most testing senior staff meeting she had ever been part of.