You Take the High Road

Posted on Sat Aug 3rd, 2024 @ 7:07 by Penny Gardner & Claire Cavendish

Chapter: Besieged
Location: Trainstation
Timeline: Winter break
1183 words - 2.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Penny clutched her bag in one hand and her coat closed in the other. Her bag was an old leather duffle, beat up and having seen better days. The zip pull had fallen off years ago and been replaced with a ratty ribbon, the colour of which was long faded. But it was sturdy otherwise and reliable, qualities which Penny treasured. A bulky scarf of various shades of grey was wrapped around the lower half of her face, and a lumpy knitted bucket hat pulled over her dark blonde hair.

Puffs of warm breath surrounded her head in a halo as she gave a little shiver. It had been a long train journey, which had required multiple changes and hours of her sitting and knitting and trying not to worry about what it would be like to start over so far North. The cold of the Scottish air was quick to wake her.

She paused on the platform for a moment, gathering her wits, making sure she had remembered everything. Having assured herself she had left nothing behind, she then dug in her pocket for the ticket to show the attendant at the barrier and the hastily scribbled note she had made when speaking to the Headmistress Cavendish on the phone which had the woman’s number plate written on so she could spot her car.

She made her way through the barriers, smiled jovially at any attendants in the station, thanked them as they took her ticket and waved her through the barrier and pointed her towards the car park. As she shuffled out to the appointed meeting play she tugged her scarf loose so she could look around more easily.

"Oh there she is, I'll see you later." Claire gave Gabriella a quick hug and sneaky kiss, the local baker had stayed over at Avalon and hitched a ride back with Claire as she was going to pick up the new member of faculty. There was a fast exit as the head teacher pushed herself off the hood of her car and straightened her long winter coat to approach the woman lugging along a leather dufflebag. "Miss Penelope Gardner Miss, I presume?" She held out a hand in greeting.

"Yes, Miss is fine, although I would prefer Penny if you don't mind. Penelope always makes me feel like I am about to be in trouble. You must be Headmistress Cavendish? How would you prefer I call you?" If Penny was surprised by such an unusual first impression it didn't show on her face. She gave the woman a bright smile, took off one of her mittens and shook the woman's hand. "Thank you very much for agreeing to meet me from the station. I am sorry if I have interrupted your personal time as a result." Penny glanced at the direction the other woman had rushed off in with mild curiosity.

"Not at all." Claire insisted, "do you need help with your luggage?" It was always a bit of a wonder how much stuff people brought along if they came to work at a boarding school. For some the dufflebag was filled with all of their worldly possessions, for others it was simply the clothes they needed to survive until their moving truck could catch up with them. "In private you may call me Claire, when students are around I prefer Miss, or if you must Head Mistress, Cavendish."

“Noted, I’ve worked in schools and summer camps so shouldn’t be difficult to remember.” Penny then waved away the offer of help. “No need, but I appreciate the offer. I’ve lugged it all the way from Kent, so a few feet to the boot of your car is no trouble at all. How far is the institute from here?”

Claire moved around the car and popped the boot to her second hand Volkswagen, "It's about a twenty minute drive. We're up in the highlands. Beautiful environment. Bit difficult to reach sometimes." She heard her mention Kent, it was a lovely bit of England. She seemed to remember an Uncle or great-uncle having an estate there. "We'll have to do with one less set of eyes making sure the French won't have the audacity to cross." Once the duffle was stowed she made her way around the passenger side and opened the door for the new arrival.

"Lovely, I look forward to seeing the area a little as we drive, it's a nice day for it, even if it is much colder up here. I think the French would find themselves disappointed by Kent." Penny slung her bag into the back of the car and then chuckled. "But never the less, Invicta." She said with a grin, repeating the county's motto, amused by the idea of anyone wanting to conquer her home county. "Always thought that was a little ironic, if we had truly been invincible, the motto would be in Saxon English wouldn't it? Like Sussex." She shrugged away the strange fact that had filtered into her head. "Personally I always preferred that of our other neighbour, Essex; Many minds, one heart."

There was a joke about Essex girls in there somewhere that Claire decided not to pursue. "First time to the highlands?" She started the car and pulled out of the lot in the direction of the main road. "Have you had a chance to eat or drink something? We could pull in to a Greggs if you want."

“Yes, I have been near the border before, when we went on a holiday to Cumbria, but never quite this far north. Have you always lived here yourself?” She was about to politely decline the offer before her stomach growled loudly. “Ah… no I have not. Not since this morning anyway.” She blushed, removing her scarf and hat now that she was in the car and they were underway. “A cheeky sausage roll or a bun would be much appreciated.”

It had been a really long train journey, first into London and then having to change at Manchester and Edinburgh. She had packed herself a sandwich but honestly that had been eaten before 11am, more out of boredom than anything else. While she had brought her discman with her, a bright orange thing which skipped whenever the train jolted particularly badly, she only had a couple of CD’s to listen to. Somewhere around the Midlands she had grown quite restless and that had fooled her into thinking food was the answer. So right now, a cheap sausage roll sounded like heaven.

Claire flipped the indicator to blink in the direction of the town centre, where the closest one of the Greggs would probably provide them with what they wanted just fine. She could of course insist on visiting Gabby's bakery, but it seemed inappropriate to bring a new employee to her freshly minted girlfriend's store the day she got into town. It didn't take long to select the appropriate snack to satiate the worst hunger pangs until they'd be able to get some proper food over at Avalon.