Wakestone Hall chapter sampler

‘ Shhh ,’ whispered Stella. She felt for his face in the darkness and put her hand over his mouth. Miss McCragg’s footsteps came closer and stopped. They could hear her breathing and smell her, a strong scent of coal-tar soap, cod-liver oil and brimstone. She muttered something under her breath, and then her footsteps clumped away along the passageway. After a few seconds, Agapanthus looked around the door and whispered, ‘She’s gone.’ They tiptoed to the stairs and made their way down, passing the mistresses’ bedrooms and the classrooms. They went on until they reached the passageway that led past the Headmistress’s parlour. They stopped and peered around the corner. Dim light filtered in from a window, making shadows on the floor. Ottilie hesitated. ‘Come on,’ whispered Agapanthus. The cat mewed. ‘ Shhh ,’ whispered Stella. Silently, they crept along the passageway and slipped, one by one, past the door of Miss Garnet’s parlour. They came to the top of an imposing, tiled staircase. Below, in the middle of the entrance hall, was a table holding a large, dusty aspidistra in an enormous brass pot. Light shone in from the gas lamp

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