Page 49 of Save Us
“I’m not here to see you,” I reply, my voice steady.
I’m proud of how cool I sound, even though the sight of my dad has made my heart clench. I replay the moment when he hurled my phone at the wall before trashing my wardrobe like a man possessed. For a moment, I touch the spot where his hand hit my cheek.
Dad must be remembering too. I can see it in his eyes, in the brief flicker of pain. But it vanishes as quickly as it came.
I tear my gaze away from him and turn to the man sitting opposite him.
“Do you have a minute, Mr. Lexington?” I ask.
The head teacher’s steely eyes flit from me to my dad and back again. Without the rimless glasses and suit that he wears to school, he looks like a different person.
“If you would like to make an appointment, Miss Beaufort, then kindly call in to my office tomorrow morning,” he says after a beat.
I shake my head. “This can’t wait.”
Evidently, he can hear that I’m deadly serious, because he looks me over appraisingly. Then his eyes rest on my bump. There’s a long pause, and I hold my breath.
Finally, he nods. “Very well.”
He pushes back his chair and stands up.
I look at Dad. He’s sitting stock-still in his chair, gripping his water glass, and gives no reaction as Lexington takes the initiative and leads me toward the foyer.
When we get there, he points to one of the groups of armchairs clustered around the area. I shake my head. I need to stay standing to say what I have to say.
“Mr. Lexington, I need to speak to you about Ruby Bell,” I begin, looking straight into his gray eyes.
He blinks in surprise. “Miss Beaufort,” he says, “I really can’t discuss another student with you. I’m sure you appreciate that.”
“You made a serious mistake on Monday when you suspended her. And I want to put it right.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His tone is still calm, but I spotted the throbbing vein at his temple a long time ago.
“Ruby wasn’t the person having a relationship with Graham Sutton—I was.”
Lexington’s eyes widen. “Miss Beaufort—”
“And if you don’t believe me”—I put my hands on my hips—“you can see the evidence for yourself,” I continue, looking down at my belly.
Lexington glances down, then up to my face again. He clears his throat firmly, takes a deep breath, and starts again at the beginning.
“The photographs clearly showed Miss Bell.”
“They were faked. In reality, Ruby and Graham were only talking about the event.”
I reach into my handbag, pull out my phone, and bring up the photos that James sent me yesterday evening. Then I hold it out to Lexington.
He narrows his eyes and leans in. I see his face change, from dubious to incredulous, to deeply embarrassed. Shaking his head, he rubs the bridge of his nose. “Bloody hell, Mortimer, what have you done?” he murmurs, so quietly that I can hardly make it out.
“My father was trying to protect me. In his own twisted way,” I say automatically. God knows why I feel the need to defend Dad.
Lexington eyes me thoughtfully. There’s a deep furrow between his eyes. “I’ve been head of this school for over twenty years, but…I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“I’m prepared to put it in writing. And so is Graham. We’ll do whatever it takes for Ruby to finish her A levels. We can’t let her be punished for our mistakes, sir,” I declare.
Lexington nods. “Miss Bell may come back to school on Monday. I will be in touch with her parents immediately.”
“I’m sorry for landing this on you at the weekend,” I say. “But I couldn’t leave things a second longer.”
