The missing mortals, p.30
The Missing Mortals, page 30
“He seemed to be feeling a little better,” Doug answered. “I asked him if he wanted to play a game of chess, and he said he’d really like that. Of course, I got schooled, but I think he really enjoyed it. Thanks again for suggesting it.”
“I’m just glad he’s feeling better. Maybe he’s over whatever was making him ill.”
“Maybe,” Doug replied, but he didn’t sound too optimistic. “I wish I could tell him about the Mortals.”
“We will, as soon as this guy who’s blackmailing you gets caught. Then we can tell Lord Dinswood everything,” Emma said with a certainty she didn’t really feel.
“By then it may be too late,” Doug said quietly. Then he ran a hand through his hair, something he did whenever he was stressed.
Emma’s heart went out to him, but she knew that there was nothing she could say right now that would comfort him. Instead, she reached out and took his hand. She felt him squeeze her hand lightly in acknowledgment of her gesture of sympathy.
“Sorry to be such a downer on Thanksgiving,” Doug said with a sigh. Then he sat down in the chair across from Emma, still holding her hand. For a moment, the room was silent except for the crackling of the logs in the fire. Suddenly, the clock above the mantle began to chime the hour, startling Emma.
Doug couldn’t help laughing as he felt her jump. With his somber mood broken, Doug stood and said in a lighter tone, “Let’s go get some supper.” Then he surprised Emma by grabbing her other hand and pulling her to her feet.
“Just what I need,” Emma said with an exaggerated groan, “more food.”
Glad for Doug’s change in mood, Emma followed him to the dining hall where, despite her protests, she was able to eat a heaping plate of leftover turkey with all the trimmings.
Later that evening, they played games in the lounge with some of the other students who had remained at the school over the holidays. Introductions were made as each person joined the group; but Emma, who was terrible with names, knew she probably wouldn’t remember them after tonight. It didn’t seem to matter. Everyone was having a good time. The last game they played was charades. They divided into two teams—the girls versus the boys. Emma had never laughed so hard in her life. At the end of the evening, her face actually hurt from smiling so much. They played until curfew and then regretfully said their good nights.
As Emma headed to Brimley Hall along with the other girls, she thought back on the day with satisfaction. All in all, it had been a good day. Later that night, as she lay in bed, she said a prayer for Lord Dinswood and for Doug. She would have prayed even harder if she’d known that at that moment Doug was delivering the third sculpture to the Reaper.
Saturday morning, Emma stood in the castle’s lobby waiting for Doug and his dad to come down. Doug had told her they’d leave to go ice-skating around ten o’clock. When Doug had explained the situation, Dean Harwood had readily agreed to make a stop in Windland so that Emma could drop off her cross-stitch picture at the shop. Emma had spent all of the previous day working on it and had finally completed it just before supper. Doug had spent the day working on his rocking chair. When Emma had asked him about it that evening at supper, he’d explained that all he had left to do was sand it and stain it. Emma had asked if she could see it, but Doug had said he didn’t want to show it to her until it was finished. Emma had been disappointed, but she had understood how he felt, so she hadn’t pressed the issue.
While Emma was waiting, Mr. Dorfman passed by. He was carrying some books, so Emma assumed he was on his way to the library. Emma quickly looked away and did her best to pretend she hadn’t seen him. He was probably mad at her over the hayride incident. She was hoping that he would ignore her and go on his way, but it was not to be.
“Emma, I’ve been meaning to talk with you for some time now, but the opportunity never presented itself,” Mr. Dorfman began as he approached her. When he got closer, he noticed her flushed cheeks. He immediately understood the cause and hastened to reassure her. “You don’t need to be afraid to talk to me, Emma. I’m not angry with you. I simply wanted to apologize for what happened the night of the hayride. I should have made sure you and Martha were on the other wagon before taking off.”
An apology was the last thing Emma had expected. For a moment, it rendered her speechless. While she processed his words, Mr. Dorfman waited patiently with a kind expression. Realizing that she owed him an apology as well, Emma finally managed to find her voice.
“I’m sorry too, Mr. Dorfman. I should have done what you told me to instead of running off to find Martha.”
“Well, it sounds like we’ve both learned an important lesson,” Mr. Dorfman said with a smile. “Enjoy the rest of your holiday,” he added as he turned to leave.
Emma watched him go—relieved that he wasn’t angry with her. Now, she only had Bobby to worry about. She was certain she wouldn’t be getting an apology from him. Instead, he was probably plotting some new way to make her and Doug’s lives miserable. Sebastian and Martha might get caught in the crossfire, but she and Doug were Bobby’s real targets.
A moment later, Doug came around the corner, followed by his dad and Miss Jennings. Emma was surprised to see that Miss Jennings was coming along. Some of her surprise must have shown on her face because Miss Jennings smiled and said, “Emma, I understand you’ve never been ice-skating before.”
“That’s right, but I’ve always wanted to learn,” Emma answered politely, trying to cover her embarrassment. It should have occurred to her that Doug’s dad would invite Miss Jennings to come. She shouldn’t have been standing there with her mouth hanging open.
“You’re going to love it!” Miss Jennings said enthusiastically. “It takes a little while to get used to the feel of the ice, but once you do, it’s the nearest thing to flying.”
They continued to chat as they made their way outside, and by the time they got to the car, which was waiting out front, Emma was over her embarrassment and feeling comfortable again.
The ride to Windland went quickly, and soon they were pulling up to the Frame Shop. Emma went inside, while the others waited in the car. After picking out a frame and the color for the matting, Emma asked the lady behind the counter if she could possibly have it done by the following Saturday.
“We’re not as busy as we usually are this time of year, so it won’t be a problem,” the woman told her.
With a sigh of relief, Emma thanked the woman and hurried outside. She didn’t want to keep everyone waiting any longer than necessary.
“Boy that was fast!” Doug exclaimed as Emma got back in the car.
“You didn’t have to rush on our account,” Dean Harwood told her with a smile.
“I already had a color in mind for the matting, and I figured an oak frame would go with our living room furniture,” Emma explained. “The store had exactly what I wanted, so it was easy. Thanks for making the stop, Dean Harwood.”
“I was glad to do it.”
As Dean Harwood started the car and began to back out, Emma couldn’t help thinking yet again what a nice man Doug’s dad was, and it occurred to her that Doug was just like his dad.
Forty-five minutes later, they turned onto a road that would take them through the center of the city of Benton. Benton was a fairly large city with a population nearing a hundred thousand. As they traveled along, Emma saw a wide variety of department stores, restaurants, and banks, as well as a number of multistory office buildings. Dean Harwood explained that renovations on the entire downtown area had recently been completed. As a result, all of the buildings looked shiny and new. All in all, Emma was very impressed with the city of Benton.
They were stopped at a traffic light a couple of cars back from the intersection when Emma happened to notice a man and a woman on the sidewalk up ahead waiting to cross the street. Something about the couple seemed familiar. The light changed, and Emma continued to watch as Dean Harwood’s car drew closer to the man and woman. As they passed, Emma got a good look at them and couldn’t prevent the soft gasp of surprise that escaped her lips.
“What is it, Emma?” Doug asked when he heard her.
“Did you see that couple on the sidewalk?” Emma asked in a whisper. She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t want Doug’s dad and Miss Jennings to hear her. Doug shook his head no in answer to her question, so Emma continued, “It was the academy’s head cook, Mrs. Bertram, and that construction guy, you know, the one that owns the company that’s building our new gym.”
“You mean Ray Sutton?” Doug asked.
“Yeah, that’s the guy.”
Doug thought for a minute. “Well, I guess that’s not so strange really. Mrs. Bertram’s a widow, and she and Mr. Sutton are probably about the same age. The cooks each get a day off during the holiday weekend. This must be Mrs. Bertram’s day.”
“They make an odd couple, don’t you think?” Emma said with a frown. At the school, Mrs. Bertram seemed so prim and proper in her starched and spotless uniform. Under her management, the school’s kitchen was always meticulously clean—the appliances scrubbed and polished after every use. Ray Sutton seemed to be just the opposite. His work clothes were always filthy, his work site cluttered with equipment and unused materials. Of course, the man did work in construction, but even allowing for that fact, Mr. Sutton didn’t seem to be Mrs. Bertram’s type at all. Thankfully, the two of them had been too busy talking to each other to notice Emma gawking at them through the car window. They had been holding hands, so there was no doubt that they were more than friends.
“Not really. They’re probably just out on a date,” Doug stated matter-of-factly, interrupting Emma’s musings.
Emma had a strange feeling that something about the couple wasn’t right, but Doug didn’t seem to be concerned, so she decided to let the matter drop. Then a thought occurred to her. “I hope they’re not planning on going ice-skating!”
Doug couldn’t help laughing at the look of horror on Emma’s face. “I don’t think we have to worry about that. I can’t picture either one of them wearing a pair of ice skates. Can you?”
“I’m trying not to,” Emma answered with a giggle.
A few minutes later, Dean Harwood pulled into the parking lot of the skating rink. They had left the downtown area behind several minutes ago and were now a couple of miles out on the opposite side of Benton. A large metal building stood at the north end of the parking lot.
“Is that the skating rink?” Emma asked. Somehow it wasn’t what she had expected.
Hearing the doubt in her tone, Doug smiled and answered, “I know it’s not much to look at on the outside, but I promise it’s really nice on the inside.”
Emma nodded and swallowed nervously. Now that they had reached their destination, she was beginning to worry that she might embarrass herself when she tried to skate. After all, this was her first time, and she didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of Doug. In an attempt to calm her nerves, Emma began to reason with herself. She’d been roller-skating many times before. Surely ice-skating couldn’t be that much different.
“All right, everybody out,” Dean Harwood said cheerfully after pulling into a parking spot close to the entrance.
Obediently, Emma got out of the car. She walked beside Doug, who was following behind his dad and Miss Jennings. As they got closer to the building, the butterflies in her stomach began doing somersaults.
Noticing how quiet Emma had suddenly become, Doug looked down at her. He was surprised to see how pale she was. “Emma, are you okay?”
Emma nodded. “I guess I’m just a little nervous. I don’t want to make a fool of myself.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll do just fine,” Doug said.
That’s easy for you to say, Emma thought. Doug had been ice-skating many times and had even been on a little league hockey team when he was younger. Doug had told her all of this the day he had first asked her to go on this outing. She hadn’t thought much about it then, but now that the moment of truth was near, Emma was kicking herself for agreeing to come. It would have been a different matter if they had both been beginners, but Doug was practically an expert. She was bound to look gawky and awkward by comparison. Oh well, it’s too late to back out now, she thought with a sigh.
When they got inside the building, Dean Harwood paid the admission fee for the four of them and then led them over to the counter where they could rent skates. A large area to the left of the counter had several wooden benches so that people could sit down to put their skates on. There were also rows of lockers for stowing shoes and other personal belongings. They each gave their shoe size to the teenage boy working behind the counter, and he provided them with the proper size skates. Doug requested a pair of hockey skates instead of figure skates. When the boy laid them on the counter, Emma noticed that the blade on the hockey skates looked even thinner than the blades on the figure skates. Emma didn’t see how he was going to be able to balance on that single thin blade, but she was too nervous to question Doug’s choice.
After grabbing their skates, Doug led Emma over to a bench opposite the one occupied by his dad and Miss Jennings. It was then that Emma realized that she didn’t even know how to lace up her skates.
As if reading her mind, Doug said, “I’ll help you lace up your skates, Emma.”
“Okay,” Emma quickly agreed. With shaking hands, she took off her shoes and put the skates on. Then Doug knelt down in front of her and went to work. His movements were quick and efficient. He obviously knew what he was doing.
“It’s important that you get the laces good and tight,” Doug explained while he worked. “These rental skates are usually too broken in to give much ankle support. You see, with ice-skating, it’s all about the strength of your ankles.”
While he worked, Emma began to worry that her ankles weren’t strong enough.
“That should do it,” Doug said when he had finished. Then he sat down next to her and quickly donned his own skates. Emma sat beside him, trying not to show how nervous she was.
Dean Harwood and Miss Jennings finished getting their skates on first. Of course, Miss Jennings had been able to perform the task herself, so they had finished in half the time it was taking Doug and Emma. Emma watched as they made their way over to the skating rink. They really were a nice-looking couple. Dean Harwood took Miss Jennings’s hand as they stepped onto the ice. It was then that Emma noticed all the people, children and adults alike, whizzing past. She could see the children’s heads over the low wall that circled the rink. Emma began to wonder if she was the only one in the entire place who didn’t know how to ice-skate. She was seriously considering backing out when Doug rose and pulled her to her feet.
“Let’s go,” he said with an encouraging smile. Sensing her reluctance, he added, “You’ll never learn if you don’t try. Don’t worry. I won’t let you fall.”
Emma didn’t answer. She was too busy trying not to be sick.
All too soon, they were at the edge of the rink. Doug put his arm around her waist for support as together they stepped onto the ice. Immediately, Emma’s roller-skating experience kicked in. She leaned slightly forward and began placing one foot in front of the other—gliding a little on each foot. Doug let her set the pace, gliding confidently along beside her, all the while keeping his arm firmly around her waist. As they circled the rink, Emma began to get a feel for the ice. The longer she went without falling, the more her confidence grew.
Doug was right about ankle strength being important. Emma found she couldn’t keep her ankles straight. Instead they bowed inward slightly. She noticed several of the other skaters having the same difficulty, so she didn’t feel too badly about it.
“You’re doing great, Emma,” Doug complimented her.
“Thanks,” Emma replied. She was too busy concentrating to say much more. So far, she had managed to stay upright, but it was still early.
“Think you’re ready to try it on your own?” Doug asked after they’d circled the rink a few more times. He didn’t want to let her go. He was enjoying having her up close beside him, but she was doing so well she really didn’t need his help any longer.
“I guess I won’t know until I try,” Emma answered.
“Okay then. I’ll be right here if you need me.” He’d been half hoping that she would say she wasn’t ready to go solo, but he had to admit she was right. Reluctantly, Doug removed his arm from around her waist.
Emma immediately missed its comforting warmth and realized what an idiot she was. She had been so focused on her skating that she hadn’t taken the time to appreciate the fact that Doug had had his arm around her. That thought caused her to stumble, but she quickly managed to regain her balance.
As the afternoon wore on, Emma began to notice that her skates were rubbing sore spots on her ankles. Doug must have noticed her slowing down.
“I think you’ve had enough for one day,” he said.
“Yeah, these skates are starting to hurt my ankles.”
Without further comment, Doug began steering them to the exit. Dean Harwood and Miss Jennings skated up behind them. They must have seen the two youngsters getting ready to leave the ice.
“Are you two about ready to go?” Dean Harwood asked. “Louisa and I have had enough for today.”
“Us too,” Doug replied with a grin.
“Well, how did you like it?” Miss Jennings asked as they took off their skates a moment later.
“I loved it!” Emma answered. “You were right. It takes a while to get used to the feel of the ice, but once you do, it’s like gliding along on air. I’d love to learn how to spin and stuff, but I guess you have to take lessons for that.”
“True, but there are still some tricks I could teach you next time we come,” Miss Jennings responded with a smile.
Miss Jennings’s statement made it sound like they might get to come ice-skating again sometime. Emma hoped so, because after her initial nervousness, she’d really enjoyed herself and Doug had been the perfect date. She wondered briefly if date was the right word for it, then decided just as quickly that it didn’t really matter. The point was he’d skated patiently beside a frightened beginner all afternoon when there were probably dozens of things he would rather have done.
