Morgan ignored so he could concentrate on dreading History. What precisely he dreaded, he wasnât sure. If Grieves was going to peach on him, heâd have done it years ago. Besides which, to whom would he peach? Not to the JCR, who would turn teetotalers before they entertained complaints from undermasters. Not S-K, since revealing his knowledge to the Headmaster would expose Grieves to an inconvenient line of questioning, beginning with why heâd not spoken up three years earlier. And as for informing Morganâs Housemaster, why would anyone bother? Hazlehurst encountered worse offenses almost daily and avoided taking action on all of them.
At the Cross Keys, Mr. Grieves had revealed that heâd noticed Morgan, that heâd been noticing him for some time. And Mr. Grieves had revealed his own connection to the Keys, for he evidently possessed some signal with PollyâMorganâs Polly!âa signal with the authority to cancel Morganâs order. It dawned on Morgan that the Keys might be Mr. Grievesâs personal haunt even more than it was theirs. Nathan and Laurie would have been scandalized if Morgan had been in a position to tell them.
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
They poured into the quad for break and queued outside the tuckshop.
âHere come the Fleas, Nathan murmured.
A cluster of Burton-Leeâs XV crossed the quad like a wolf pack. Their own XV did not go round together, but Burton-Leeâs XV, perhaps as an expression of their dominance, traveled everywhere in groups.
âOds bodkins, Laurie breathed, itâs the Kingâs bodyguards.
âWhoâs the king? Nathan muttered.
âSpaulding, Morgan said.
âProbâly canât even shit on his own.
The bodyguards arrived and cut into the queue.
âHowâs the wing? asked Buxhill.
Bux played wing forward, like Morgan.
âMending, Morgan said.
âFast, Nathan added.
âNot fast enough to save you from Clemâs this afternoon, said Bux.
âOr RENâs tomorrow, added Ledger.
Ledge was Burton-Leeâs other wing forward, just as arrogant as Bux but less blatant about it.
âNot that it wouldâve made a difference, said a voice from the pack.
Bux and Ledge stepped aside for the voice: Spaulding himself, towering, lean, powerful, with a mouth that seemed always amused. Nathan stepped closer, violating the buffer Spauldingâs bodyguards had established:
âYouâve got a lot of nerve after what you did to Wilberforce.
âWhat exactly did I do? Spaulding asked.
Spaulding crossed his arms, supremely confident, his teeth miraculously straight. Unlike the bodyguards, Spaulding possessed intelligence, humor, and a magnetic presence. Nathan squared his shoulders but did not reply.
âHe didnât do anything, Bux said, except stand there and be plowed down by yon minotaur.
Ledge addressed Morgan:
âHear Matronâs sidelined you the rest of term.
âThatâs a lie, Laurie snapped.
âIt doesnât matter, Ledge told the pack. They wouldnât have come to anything even with their young wing.
âNow wingless.
âHilarious, Laurie muttered.
Morgan drew himself to his full height and addressed Spaulding:
âUnfortunately for you, youâll never know.
âKnow what?
Spaulding defiant, curious, tempted. Morgan held his gaze, heart thudding.
The pack reached the front of the queue, but Spaulding kept looking at him even after the others had turned away, sustaining a kind of silent conversation Morgan hadnât had sinceâ
There could be no shred of truth in the rumor that Spaulding had been seduced by Rees. Spaulding was in the Sixth, Rees the Fifth; Spaulding excelled on every field, Rees on none; Spaulding was adored, Rees hated.
Indeed, Rees slumped into History well after the bell, daubing his nose ostentatiously with a handkerchief. Grieves squinted at him but said nothing. When it came to Rees, Grieves
At the Cross Keys, Mr. Grieves had revealed that heâd noticed Morgan, that heâd been noticing him for some time. And Mr. Grieves had revealed his own connection to the Keys, for he evidently possessed some signal with PollyâMorganâs Polly!âa signal with the authority to cancel Morganâs order. It dawned on Morgan that the Keys might be Mr. Grievesâs personal haunt even more than it was theirs. Nathan and Laurie would have been scandalized if Morgan had been in a position to tell them.
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
They poured into the quad for break and queued outside the tuckshop.
âHere come the Fleas, Nathan murmured.
A cluster of Burton-Leeâs XV crossed the quad like a wolf pack. Their own XV did not go round together, but Burton-Leeâs XV, perhaps as an expression of their dominance, traveled everywhere in groups.
âOds bodkins, Laurie breathed, itâs the Kingâs bodyguards.
âWhoâs the king? Nathan muttered.
âSpaulding, Morgan said.
âProbâly canât even shit on his own.
The bodyguards arrived and cut into the queue.
âHowâs the wing? asked Buxhill.
Bux played wing forward, like Morgan.
âMending, Morgan said.
âFast, Nathan added.
âNot fast enough to save you from Clemâs this afternoon, said Bux.
âOr RENâs tomorrow, added Ledger.
Ledge was Burton-Leeâs other wing forward, just as arrogant as Bux but less blatant about it.
âNot that it wouldâve made a difference, said a voice from the pack.
Bux and Ledge stepped aside for the voice: Spaulding himself, towering, lean, powerful, with a mouth that seemed always amused. Nathan stepped closer, violating the buffer Spauldingâs bodyguards had established:
âYouâve got a lot of nerve after what you did to Wilberforce.
âWhat exactly did I do? Spaulding asked.
Spaulding crossed his arms, supremely confident, his teeth miraculously straight. Unlike the bodyguards, Spaulding possessed intelligence, humor, and a magnetic presence. Nathan squared his shoulders but did not reply.
âHe didnât do anything, Bux said, except stand there and be plowed down by yon minotaur.
Ledge addressed Morgan:
âHear Matronâs sidelined you the rest of term.
âThatâs a lie, Laurie snapped.
âIt doesnât matter, Ledge told the pack. They wouldnât have come to anything even with their young wing.
âNow wingless.
âHilarious, Laurie muttered.
Morgan drew himself to his full height and addressed Spaulding:
âUnfortunately for you, youâll never know.
âKnow what?
Spaulding defiant, curious, tempted. Morgan held his gaze, heart thudding.
The pack reached the front of the queue, but Spaulding kept looking at him even after the others had turned away, sustaining a kind of silent conversation Morgan hadnât had sinceâ
There could be no shred of truth in the rumor that Spaulding had been seduced by Rees. Spaulding was in the Sixth, Rees the Fifth; Spaulding excelled on every field, Rees on none; Spaulding was adored, Rees hated.
Indeed, Rees slumped into History well after the bell, daubing his nose ostentatiously with a handkerchief. Grieves squinted at him but said nothing. When it came to Rees, Grieves
Similar Books
