“Yes,” I said. Then I burst into tears.
Chapter 24
Fox
Thursday morning started as usual. I was getting used to this now, and yes, I had made numerous reports. I had spoken to my colleagues, and I had reported myself to the safeguarding lead. I had written down blow-by-blow accounts of every interaction with me and the child in question, and also our walk and interaction with a certain Mr Fairweather.
I knew how bad it looked. But…I also knew that Bailey Butcher was beaming from ear to ear sat at my tiny table, wolfing down a bowl of cereal and brushing crumbs off his school blazer.
He was having a haircut later and had slept on my sofa every night this week, turning up with his school iPad and a book around ten, after the housemaster’s lights-out, like this was perfectly normal.
I wasn’t helping myself either because I could see it coming and was leaving the door unlocked and would pop my head around the corner and say goodnight.
Perhaps I should be tucking him in, but I felt that was too personal. This was not the proper way of doing things, and…I still couldn’t bring myself to remove him and bring him back to his room. Not when he was this happy. Grinning from ear to ear as I sat myself down opposite him with my morning tea. All dressed in my robes. Hair back. Everything on point. I’d even ironed my collar, ready for Baronetess Daniels’s critical eyes.
No dust on me. Not a fleck of anything they could accuse me of. It was the way the world worked, and perhaps I was paranoid, but I was trying so hard to do the right thing here, when I knew full well what I was doing was…perhaps wrong. Like stocking up on his favourite cereal and leaving it out on the table. With a bowl and spoon. Dusting off my toaster and buying butter and jam. Like a normal person.
“You dad pretty good,” he said with his mouth full. “Although…Mrs Cook’s scrambled eggs are…really epic.”
“I agree. But if you’re going to be too late for Mrs Cook’s breakfast, you’ll be late for assembly, and we can’t have that.”
“If I’m late for assembly, then you’re late for assembly and you’re my dad, so your problem. You need to get me up on time.”
I rolled my eyes. We taught the boys independent living here. Self-management. Apparently not part of Bailey’s plan-of-life. “Mr Nolan is leading assembly today. I’ve got a meeting with our board.”
“Bah,” Bailey said. Then he drank the last of the milk out of the bowl. The way I had done as a child.
For heaven’s sake. I wasn’t doing this, was I?
At least, all bases were covered, including putting Noah on the list of approved visitors to the school, under the condition that he would be escorted at all times. And I may…have also filled in the application to have him move in with me…after our nuptials. Oh fuck. It made me smile nervously, and I was not spilling those little snippets of information to Bailey.
Instead, I sent him on his way and went upstairs to our official meeting room, where Baronetess Daniels was already in situ, having been provided with a cup of tea and a selection of Cook’s finest biscuits.
Me? I wasn’t eating or drinking a thing until this was over because I would no doubt spill on myself and I was already nervous enough. Not much over this meeting, but everything was up in the air, and that? That made me twitchy. Bailey Butcher made me twitchy. He also made me smile and made me think about how my life could be… And most of all, Noah Fairweather made me lose my mind. What on earth was I playing at here?
I took my seat, somehow expecting the worst. I would be sacked. Had there been complaints? Had there? Maybe I had pushed too far this time, skirting around the rules with a smile on my face.
“Mr Riley, a pleasure as always.” Gardiner Faulkner, our lead parent governor. Self-styled speaker of the pack and chair of the meeting. As always. I didn’t mind.
“It’s delightful to see you all here; I trust you have all had refreshments?”
I could talk the talk. Walk the walk. Head held high.
“You still look exactly the same, Riley. And you really should set a better example for our students. A haircut is long overdue, young man.” Right on cue, my monthly dressing-down from Mr Machintyre. He still thought I was twelve, and in need of a stern whipping. In his defence, he hadtaught Math here for donkey’s years before retiring, and yes. I had been his student. I was still mad at him for only awarding me a B in my final exams.
“My hair is at regulation standard, Mr Machintyre,” I quipped.
“First on the agenda, Mr Riley. We have some concerns.” I was getting attacked from every corner today. Well fuck-a-duck.
I tried not to smile. I had no concerns. I had all the concerns in the world.
“We have had a comprehensive written complaint about your conduct as of late, from an anonymous outsider. Certain things were mentioned, and we would like to start by addressing them.”
“I am now concerned myself. Can you elaborate on what these complaints adhere to?”
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“There were mentions of a recent holiday where you got so inebriated that you had to be carried back to your accommodation.”
