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I decided to make a detour before heading to her office. In a quick pit stop at my room, I put on my jade earrings and fur coat. You know the ones of which I speak. I wanted to look the part if I was going to give the headmistress a piece of my mind. I wanted to look fabulous and imposing, like Mama did when she was ticking someone off.
“Here to see Miss Upturn again, Miss Cruella?” asked the frumpy-looking woman sitting at the desk right outside the headmistress’s office. Yes, that was our headmistress’s name: Miss Upturn. I think she thought it was a posh name, but to me it sounded common. And it seemed all too fitting, what with all the times she’d turned her nose up at Anita on the occasions we had been sent to her office.
Miss Frumpypants let me into Miss Upturn’s office. The headmistress was sitting at her desk, dressed in a plain but stately brown dress suit, and had what looked to be a dead quail on her head, the feathers going every which way.
It was a very unfortunate hat.
And to make matters worse, it was very out of date. Much like her dress. She made pretense at being busy when her assistant led me into her office and directed me to stand near the chair across from her desk. Miss Upturn kept me standing there while her beady little eyes darted around her desk, like a deranged bird looking for something to do. She didn’t even bother to look at me for several minutes. I could tell she was putting off speaking with me as long as she could.
Simple woman. Barely an in-between. Finally, she looked up at me.
“Miss Cruella. It has been brought to my attention that you are causing quite the disturbance in Miss Babble’s class,” she said, looking at me with her too small, too round eyes. She really was a startling sight.
“Yes, Miss Upturn. The other students have been horrible to Anita and Miss Babble does nothing about it. And she refuses to call on Anita in class. I don’t understand why she insists on ignoring her. She is the only student in our class who actually has something of value to share, and who has taken the time to actually read her assignments,” I said. The quail wobbled on Miss Upturn’s head as she sighed. It would have made me laugh if I hadn’t seen the look of disgust on her face when I mentioned Anita’s name. This made me dislike the woman even more.
“Honestly, Cruella, I don’t understand your fascination with that girl. You have been to this office countless
times, all on account of her. She is beneath you in every way. I frankly don’t understand what you see in her. An education here will only take Anita so far. Do you understand what I’m telling you? I’m sure you two were very close in childhood, and it’s wonderful to have such friends when you’re young. But it’s time you understand you will both be in very different social circles once you are entered in society. You will eventually go your own ways, and I’d hate to see you discount and alienate the girls who share your social standing, because those are the young ladies you will be spending time with in social situations, not Anita.”
“Anita is my best friend, and a very good friend of my family’s. I would hate my mother to find out how poorly she is being treated by you and your staff, not to mention how you let the students mock her. I’m not sure how everyone found out about Anita’s lack of circumstances, but that should have no bearing on her getting the education her guardians are paying for her to receive.”
“Well, Miss Cruella, it was your mother who informed me of Anita’s circumstances, and while she indulges your friendship to a point, she wanted Anita to be reminded of her place. Your family has been so generous in their endowments to our school, Miss Cruella, I thought the least I could do was honor your mother’s request.”
I was shocked. But I didn’t blink. “While I am aware of my mother’s concerns, Miss Upturn, I would suggest that you speak with your staff and make it clear that Miss Anita is to be treated with respect, or I will personally see to it that this school no longer receives those endowments.”
Miss Upturn laughed under her breath, making the bird on her hat wobble again. It was all I could do not to burst out laughing. Clearly she didn’t realize my situation. And taking a page out of my mother’s book, I took control of the conversation before she could elaborate on her laugher.
“This school is ridiculous! Honestly. The idea of inferiors like you and your staff instructing me how to conduct myself in social circles that quite frankly would never permit you makes me laugh. How dare you look down your noses at Anita! All it will take is one phone call to my solicitor and the endowments will cease!” I took Sir Huntley’s calling card out of my handbag and placed it on her desk. “You may, of course, confirm all of this with Sir Huntley if you wish. Now if you will excuse me, Miss Upturn, I have some letters to write and calls to make before I start packing for winter break.” Miss Upturn sat there dumbfounded. Gobsmacked is a better word. She was speechless, staring at the card, while the bird on her head stood stock-still, staring at me. I had achieved my purpose. I only wished I’d had the courage to do it sooner. I felt so powerful in that moment, wearing the earrings my papa had given me and the lovely coat Mama insisted I take along with me to school. I understood in that moment that I got my power from looking my best. Just like my mama.
I couldn’t wait to tell Anita all about it. I turned to walk out of the room, but Miss Upturn’s voice stopped me. “I’m sorry for any misunderstanding, Miss Cruella. Of course I will see that the staff treats Miss Anita with more respect. You can be assured of that.” I didn’t bother turning around when I answered. I simply said, “See that you do!”
“So you won’t be making that call to your solicitor then, Miss Cruella?” she asked, her voice sounding very small and not at all like her usual imposing self.
I glanced back over my shoulder and added, “No, Miss Upturn, not while Anita is treated with respect, I don’t expect I will have to.” And then I smiled at the woman, taking delight in twisting the screw a little further. “Oh, and, Miss Upturn … I’ll see that my solicitor includes a little something extra for you with our next endowment. Might I suggest you use it to buy yourself a new hat!” Then I swished my fur coat around me, as I had seen my mother do countless times, and I dramatically exited the office. I was magnificent.
I’m not embarrassed to say I was very proud of myself that day. I not only stood up for my best friend, but I devised a way to make sure she would be treated fairly from that point forward. Of course, Miss Upturn turned out to be right in the end. I was young, and I let my childhood love blind me. I didn’t see Anita back then as I do now.
Anita and I sat in our room and laughed together when I told her about my talk with Miss Upturn.
“Oh, Anita! You should have seen the look on her face! She was trembling in fear and anger. I thought that hat was going to fall right off her head!”
“But you didn’t really tell her to get a new hat, did you?” asked Anita, scandalized but laughing despite her sweet nature.
“I did! Isn’t it a blast?” We both laughed so hard we annoyed the girls in the room next to us, but I didn’t care. They were all horrid creatures. None of them had the sort of money my family did. Who were they to turn their noses up at Anita and me? If anyone was going to be looking down on anyone, it was going to be me looking down on them.
The Christmas holiday came upon us quickly, and I was so excited to spend it with Anita. I was even looking forward to seeing Miss Pricket, who said I could bring Anita home with me for the holidays since her guardians would be traveling out of the country. I didn’t want her home alone with no one but servants to keep her company. I was so happy when Miss Pricket wrote to say I should bring Anita along, and that my mother wouldn’t mind.
My mother was still traveling, but she continued to send me gifts, and sometimes she’d include a little something for Anita because she knew it would make me happy. I hoped she would be returning in time for the holidays. There was no indication that what Miss Upturn had said about my mama wanting her to keep Anita in her place was remotely true, so I had decided the woman was lying or had misunderstood something Mama had said. Leave it to a haughty in-between to take it upon herself to decide what my mother might or might not have wanted. Horrible woman.
Miss Pricket took the train to meet us at school so she could escort us back to London—first class, of course. We didn’t travel any other way. She was full of the usual questions on the train back to London, asking about our studies, the other girls, our instructors. I didn’t share my conversation with Miss Upturn, but we did tell her about all the things we had learned and how excited we were to start dance classes after the winter break. They were going to teach us how to dance properly for the upcoming season of balls and other social events. Even though neither of us were particularly interested in attending stupid balls, we did fancy the idea of learning how to dance. After all, every lady needed to know how to dance, even if it wasn’t going to be at a stuffy ball or one’s wedding day. I imagined Anita and myself dancing in exotic locations. And I fancied one day we would have a true adventure, but my grand ideas for the future were still forming and I wasn’t ready to share them yet.
While I mused about that, Miss Pricket and Anita began chatting in French, and my daydreams turned to Christmas. I was so excited to help the servants trim the tree, and to see what Mrs. Baddeley was going to cook for our Christmas feast. But what I looked forward to most was seeing my mama. I desperately wanted to hear about her adventures. And I was so happy I would be spending the Christmas holiday with the two people I loved most in the world: Mama and Anita. I wanted so desperately to mend things with Mama. To put all that nonsense with Papa’s nurse and Papa’s will behind us. I was so hoping that Christmastime would lend its magic to help us become friends again.
“I’m so happy you both seem to be enjoying school,” said Miss Pricket, bringing me out of my daydreams. I looked around our train compartment, almost surprised to find myself there. In my mind, I was already home with my mama. “Miss Cruella, I wanted to mention something before we got back to Belgrave Square.” My stomach dropped. I thought for sure she was going to tell me my mama wouldn’t be home for the holidays. “Your headmistress, Miss Upturn, called to tell me about your last conversation.” But before I could say anything, Anita spoke up.
“It’s not her fault, Miss Pricket, it’s mine. . . .” Miss Pricket took Anita’s hand.
“Don’t be a goose, Anita
