Wakestone Hall chapter sampler

Her dreams had been confusing and frightening, and her head felt thick and heavy. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. Dim morning light filtered in from the window. It was still raining, and it was very cold. The dormitory maid, a cheerful girl, hurried into the room with a pile of folded towels. She whispered, ‘Get up, she’s coming,’ pulled a face and added over her shoulder, ‘And she’s in a right old bate this morning, so she is.’ Stella clambered out of bed, shivering. She yawned again. ‘Up, up,’ said Miss McCragg, clumping into the dormitory. She was leaning heavily on her stick. There was a nasty-looking scratch on the side of her face. ‘Get up, there.’ She banged her stick against the ends of the beds. ‘Inspection today.’ She stamped over to the first bed, pulled open the drawers of the dressing table and poked her stick inside. ‘She’s looking for sausages, I bet,’ whispered Agapanthus. Stella’s heart gave a lurch. Hidden in the bottom drawer of her dressing table was a little musical box. It had once been her mother’s. She had brought it to school because she could not bear to leave it behind with the Aunts at the Hotel Majestic. She had tucked it right at the back of the drawer, behind her summer

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