Verity Sparks, Lost and Found Read Online Free PDF Page A

Louisette’s, and Lottie was very sweet.
    “Your Papa sounds foreign,” was her next remark.
    “That’s because he was born in Russia.”
    “Ooh,” she said as if I’d told her he was a cannibal.
    “He’s lived in France and Germany and Canada as well.” And I used a phrase I’d heard from SP, which I thought summed up Papa very well. “Papa’s a man of the world.”
    “He’s frightfully rich, isn’t he? Oops!” She put her hand over her mouth and giggled. “Mamma says it’s rude to talk about money, but you know, the grown-ups do it all the time.” She looked me up and down and then said suddenly, “But
you
don’t sound foreign. Why not?”
    I laughed. “Because I’ve lived all my life in London.”
    “With your mother?”
    “Yes, and no,” I began. “My mother died when I was a baby …”
    Mrs Morcom had recommended that only trusted friends be given the whole story, but just then her good advice flew out the window. I was only up to my apprenticeship at Madame’s when I realised my mistake. Lottie was sympathetic. Very sympathetic. Just in the wrong way.
    “You had to live above a shop? You had to eat in the kitchen? Oh, you poor thing.” She shuddered. “Dear, dear Verity! How horrible it must have been for you. How could you bear it?”
    “It wasn’t so bad. Madame was always kind to us girls,” I said. “We got paid on time. We were well fed, not like some. And the other girls were very nice.”
    Lottie caught my tone and she said quickly, “How loyal you are, Verity. Please, go on.”
    I gave only the sketchiest account of my time with the Plushes, not mentioning Alexander or the Confidential Inquiry Agency. I also left the subject of teleagtivism well alone. I completed my biography with a happy ending.
    “… and it turned out that the Professor’s friend Mr Savinov was my father.”
    “Just like a fairytale. You’re so brave, Verity.”
    “There wasn’t much else I could do.”
    “I would have
died
.” She squeezed my hand. “I’m so glad we’re friends, aren’t you?”
    I returned the pressure of her hand. “I’m glad too,” I said.

    But now, on my first night at Hightop House, while Lottie prattled away as she helped unpack my trunk, I wondered if I should ask her not to repeat my story. She was such a scatterbrain, she might just blurt it out. On the other hand, she may well have forgotten. In the end, I said nothing, for two other little girls came creeping in. Their names were Hattie and Emma, and they were Lottie’s roommates.
    “I’ll put that away for you,” offered Hattie, snatching up my straw hat.
    “I will,” said Emma.
    “I knew her first,” said Lottie, jealously. “
I’ll
do it.”
    “No, no,” I said, laughing. “Between the three of you, you’ll pull that hat to bits. Emma, why don’t you …”
    The girls suddenly froze. They were staring straight past me, so I turned. A girl was standing in the doorway. She was tall, with dark hair and eyebrows and strong features. She held herself very erect, almost as if she was a young queen.
    “Hello, Jethie,” whispered Emma, who had a lisp.
    “Buzz off, you lot,” said the girl, coming in uninvited. “Go on. Shoo!”
    “But we’re helping Verity–” began Lottie, but the girl cut her off.
    “I said
out
.”
    “Come on, Lottie,” said Hattie, taking her hand.
    Lottie stopped to give me a quick kiss, and the three girls scurried out of my room.
    “So you’re the new girl.” She mimicked Emma’s lisp. “I’m
Jethie
.” She laughed, but I didn’t. “Jessie McGryll.”
    “Of Gryll Grange, near Hamilton,” I said, remembering Mrs Enderby-Smarke’s boast.
    “That’s right,” she said, looking rather surprised.
    “I’m Verity Sparks-Savinov,” I said with what I hoped was a friendly expression. So far I didn’t like this girl, but I was new to the school. I mustn’t offend anyone. At least not on my first day.
    “Where do you live?”
    “In St Kilda.”
    “St