Chapter 8
‘So, you might not be an orphan?’ Nate ventured.
Lili wanted to change the subject.They had just finished dinner, and the children – who had been dropped off by Ray earlier that evening when Nate was busy cooking – had left the table to play with Bella in the garden, catching the last of the summer sunshine.
She was about to tell Nate that she didn’t want to talk about it, when he asked, ‘So, how did you come to be a boarder at Saint Vincent School? Did a relative pay for your schooling?’
They had realised soon after meeting that they’d both attended the same private school. In answer to his question, Lili shook her head. ‘Nobody came forward; no relative or family friend who claimed to know me.’
‘Didn’t the authorities try to trace your extended family?’
‘Yes, but with no luck. Don’t forget there was no social media back then.’
‘Then how come—?’
Lili knew what he was asking. How had she come to be in an expensive, fee-paying school? He obviously thought she might not be an orphan if she had an absent relative who had paid for her schooling. But nothing had been further from the truth.
Lili smiled. ‘I was so lucky to have the most amazing social worker who has been there for me all my life. I was a bright child. There was a scheme for poor children from disadvantaged backgrounds to go to top boarding schools, so I sat an entrance exam and got a scholarship.’
‘You got a scholarship at eight?’
‘Uh-huh.’ Lili nodded and smiled.
‘You know, my parents looked into funding for me to go to that school. In the end, my grandfather paid for me to go. All the assisted places and scholarship schemes are for children who start in the secondary school, not the preparatory school.’
Lili was still smiling. ‘I’m afraid you’re wrong, Nate.’
‘I’m afraid I’m not. Ask my parents.’
Lili’s smile faltered. ‘What are you saying?’
‘Whatever you’ve been told, it’s just not true. Somebody paid for your schooling, Lili.’
Lili stared at Nate.
‘Look, why don’t you pop into the school and find out?’
‘I left almost ten years ago. Why would they still have my records?’
‘I imagine they have to keep them for several years, for tax reasons at least.’
Lili’s mind was racing. If she hadn’t got a scholarship, if someone had paid her fees, why would her social worker – the lady who had been the one constant in her life, and the person she trusted implicitly – lie to her?
Nate glanced in the rear-view mirror and frowned. ‘Remind me why we had to bring the dog?’ It was the following day, and Nate had persuaded Lili to pop along to their old school.
Lili looked over her shoulder. Bella was sitting on the back seat, muzzle resting on the headrest, looking as though she was enjoying the ride. Lili turned to the front and glanced at Nate. ‘I didn’t like the thought they would shut her up in a room all on her own.’
Nate wasn’t keen on her being shut in the car, in such close proximity.
‘Besides,’ Lili continued, ‘I feel Ray wanted to steer clear of Bella. I bet the children would have let her out of the conservatory.’
Nate sighed. He knew it was true. Ray was looking after the children at The Summerhouse, although he drew the line at Bella.
They both stared out of the window in silence as the red-brick Victorian property came into view at the end of the drive. ‘It seems … smaller,’ Nate commented.
Lili turned to him. ‘I was thinking the same thing.’
They hadn’t made an appointment to see the headteacher, but as former pupils, they were both hoping that held sway when they showed up unannounced.