Page 11 of The Girl from the Tea Garden
Sam saw that the boot had not been properly closed. As he opened it wide to give it a good slam shut, Nelson grabbed the torch and swung on to his shoulders. Something caught in the torchlight. Sam blinked in astonishment. He grabbed the torch from the monkey and shone it at the interior. A girl squinted back at him, raising a hand to shield her eyes. She was cowering under a StNinian’s blazer in a fringed petticoat. Nelson leapt down and squatted beside her, patting her bare legs.
‘Is that you, Adela?’ Sam asked in alarm. ‘What are you—?’
‘Are we out of Shillong?’ She sat up, clutching Nelson and peering out in fear.
‘Yes, but—’
‘Please don’t take me back. I don’t want to get you into trouble, but please don’t.’
‘I can’t leave you in the boot of my car!’
Adela scrambled up and swung long legs over the side. Sam grabbed her hand to help her. She struggled to push him away.
‘Let me go! I won’t go back!’
Sam held her hard. ‘Hey, steady on. Tell me what this is all about.’
‘I just need a lift. I need to get away.’ She glared back at him with defiant eyes.
‘You can’t run away at this time of night. People will be worried about you.’
‘No, they won’t. Nobody cares.’
‘Of course they do. Miss Black—’
‘Miss Black hates me. I’m a disgrace to the school. She’s going to tell my parents.’
Suddenly Sam laughed. ‘Is this all because of your dancing act?’
‘It’s not funny,’ Adela raged. ‘I can’t go back. They all hate me and I don’t have any friends. Even Flowers Dunlop let me down– she was supposed to do the dance too.’
‘It can’t be as bad as you think,’ Sam soothed. ‘Most of the girls loved it. I’m sure Miss Black will forgive you and it’ll all blow over.’
‘It won’t blow over. Don’t treat me like a child. I’m not a child!’
Sam let go of his hold. She stood shivering and barelegged.
‘Pretend you never saw me. I didn’t want you to find me– I was going to sneak out when you next stopped.’
‘Sneak out and go where?’ Sam snorted. ‘It’s dark, and dangerous for a girl to be wandering around in ... in ... what little you’re dressed in. You’ll catch your death.’
‘I’m not afraid of the dark. I can sleep under a tree, and then when it’s light I’ll walk home.’
‘Walk to Belgooree?’ Sam cried. ‘That would take ages.’
‘I don’t care– I can do it. Nothing is going to make me go backthere– and you can’t make me either.’
Sam, hands on hips, scrutinised the stubborn girl. She looked like an urchin with her dark, unruly hair tumbling about her shoulders, standing knock-kneed in a tatty slip with its fringed hem half off, arms folded tight over small, high breasts. Her dark-lashed eyes– he saw now that they were flecked with green– defied him; her mouth was a mulish pout. One day, Sam thought with a catch in his throat, Adela Robson would be beautiful. Sam dropped his gaze and reached beyond her into the boot.
‘Here, put this round you.’ He held out a blanket. ‘And tell me what you want to do.’
‘I want to go home,’ she said at once. ‘Please, Sam, can you take me to Belgooree?’
Suddenly she looked tired and unhappy, the self-assured defiance vanishing.
‘Are your parents on the telephone?’ he asked.
She nodded, looking confused. ‘There’s one in Daddy’s office.’
