“All I’m saying, Maudie, is be careful. And, remember, he’s also from away, after all.”
“Yes, Nate is from Nova Scotia. And that means he has nothing to do with what happened all of those years ago,” Maud said. “Neither do we.”
“It might as well have happened yesterday,” Pensie said. “People have long memories.”
“Selective ones,” Maud said, picking up her sewing, which she hoped would signal the end of the conversation. Where was Mrs. MacNeill with that piece of fabric? She needed to change the subject. “How are things with Quill?”
Now it was Pensie’s turn to blush. “Well, actually…Mary Woodside and I have been talking about it at great length.”
Mary Woodside! Since when was Pensie confiding in that girl? She should be “talking about it at great length” with her! But Maud didn’t want to ruin her time with Pensie, so she said, in what she hoped was the most natural tone, “What happened?”
“Quill has asked to take me to the monthly lecture at Cavendish Hall. Next month’s is Reverend Mr. Carruthers’s lecture.”
They heard Mrs. MacNeill’s skirt rustling and quickly resumed their sewing. “I shall ask Mother while you are here so she is more amicable,” Pensie said.
“Of course, darling.” Maud didn’t tell Pensie that she wasn’t keen on Quill. He didn’t have any intellect and was dreadfully dull. Not her style at all.
When Mrs. MacNeill returned and gave Maud the piece of pink gingham, it did look perfect against the mauve in the quilt. They sewed for a time, and then Pensie found the right moment to ask her mother, who was open to the idea of discussing the matter with Father. It was all but settled; Pensie would go to the lecture with Quill.
Later, while they were cuddling in bed, Pensie joked that maybe she wouldn’t be the only one getting asked to the lecture. And Maud made a secret wish: that Pensie could go to the lecture not with Quill, but with her.
CHAPTER EIGHT
After her weekend with Pensie, Maud returned to school with renewed determination, inspired to speak with Miss Gordon about her epic piece of verse, “The Queen’s Betrayal.” But Maud never got the chance. When she arrived, Clemmie and Nellie were sitting on the fallen birch tree, which she had to pass in order to get to the school. Clemmie’s hair was tied up in a half bun that accentuated her strong forehead, and she was dressed in a pink floral printed skirt. She appeared to be ready for a Sunday picnic, not school.
The two girls hadn’t tried to sit on, in Mollie’s words, “their territory” since the first day of school. Perhaps this was their way of getting Maud’s attention. Although Maud didn’t want to admit it, it was working. Perhaps if she ignored their trespasses, the two girls would leave her alone. Maud would display the behavior Grandma expected of her, but there was only so much a person could do when faced with girls like Clemmie and Nellie.
Maud desperately wished her best friend were there. Mollie was so much better at these things and could come up with the perfect insult, but she had sent word last night she would be late as she was helping her mother with her sick father.
“Aren’t you going to say good morning, Lucy?”
Maud stopped. Clemmie knew she hated being called by her first name.
“Yes, aren’t you going to say good morning, Lucy?” Nellie parroted.
Maud was comforted by the thought that Nellie Clark would never have an original idea of her own.
“She’s so rude, isn’t she, Nellie? It’s clear that living with her old grandparents and wherever she was this past year—probably some asylum in Charlottetown because she’s indeed mad—has corrupted her manners.”
Maud turned on her heel and faced them. The girls had stretched their legs out in front of them in a most unladylike fashion.
“Unlike your mother, who has blessed you with her unique talent for pettiness,” Maud said, “my grandmother instilled in me the lesson of turning the other cheek. And so while I see you two sitting on what you know is not your place, I’ve decided to take the higher moral ground and ignore it. And therefore ignore you.”
Maud hadn’t realized that she was going to say all that, but she also had the sudden realization that she was no longer afraid of them, or the possibility of what they would do to her.
Clemmie pushed herself up off the birch and took two steps toward Maud. She wore a thin-lipped smile that gave Maud a creepy-crawly feeling. Nellie followed—standing an inch behind Clemmie—but her smile didn’t have the same effect.
“Lucy,” Clemmie said.
“Lucy is my cousin’s name,” Maud said, already regretting her actions. She and Clemmie were almost the same height, but her nemesis showed no indication of fear, whereas Maud was sure they could hear her heart beating. Just because she was no longer afraid of them didn’t mean she enjoyed confrontation.
“Maud.” Clemmie extended her hand, and the curled lips transformed into a welcoming smile. “I came here this morning as a token of friendship.”
“Really?”
Nellie looked as bewildered as Maud felt.
Maud took a deep breath. “Clemmie, you haven’t shown me true friendship of any kind since you had your very quick change of heart last year.”
Clemmie dropped her hand. “Fine, I was going to warn you about your new boyfriend, Nathan Spurr—”
“It’s Lockhart. My goodness, Clemmie, for such an intelligent girl you really can get it all wrong.”
The welcome smile fell. “I forgot. I’ve known him as Spurr for years. A person shouldn’t go and change their name. It isn’t proper.”
“Nate can do what he wants,” Maud said. “He is his own man.”
“Maud,” Clemmie said, more calmly. “I came here this morning to tell you something about Nate.”
Maud felt the creepy-crawly feeling move down the back of her neck.
Nellie fussed with her sleeves. It was clear she was uncomfortable with this odd confession. Clemmie turned around and waved her away.
“Aren’t you going to tell me what this is about, Clemmie?” Nellie’s tone almost made Maud feel sorry for her.
“I promise, I will. But this needs to be between Maud and me,” Clemmie said.
Nellie dragged herself away but stood near the school steps.
“So what is it you wish to warn me about?” Maud said.
“I’ve missed you, Maudie. I truly have. We always had such fun together, you and I. All of those walks home, making fun of that old witch Miss Robinson.”
Maud remembered it rather differently. Maud, Mollie, and Pensie having a confidential chat and Clemmie appearing sympathetic. Until she wasn’t. “I recall you pushing your way in.”
“You girls were always laughing.” Clemmie paused at the soft chatter of their classmates as they came through the school woods. Maud could see Nate and Jack in the distance.
“You’re running out of time, Clemmie. Tell me what you want.”
“Well,” Clemmie reached out to take Maud’s arm, but Maud shook her arm away. “You know Nate and I go to the same church.”