Her fingers drummed an agitated tattoo on the sill. ‘Where is that boy? He should be here by now.’ Mahdu continued her task of folding freshly laundered undergarments and placing them neatly in the rosewood clothes press. ‘Give him time, larla. It’s a long way to Highbury and the roads will be busy at this hour of the day.’ ‘It seems such a long time since I last saw her,’ Belinda said, sighing heavily. ‘I’ve wanted so much to visit her in that wretched school.’ ‘I too, larla, but it would not do.’ ‘No, of course not. You’re right, as ever, Mahdu. But I can’t sleep at night for worrying about her. Are they being kind to her? Will the colour of her skin make her an object of derision amongst the so-called young ladies? I know how cruel children can be.’ ‘If the other girls treat her badly it will only be because they are jealous,’ Mahdu said stoutly. ‘When a child is as lovely as Cassandra it is only natural that she’ll become the object of envy and spite, but from what I’ve seen of her she is a brave little girl and spirited just like her mama.’ Belinda’s lips trembled into a smile.
