Room 2D

Story from Blushes 1 The village hall, a wooden building once central to the geography and the needs of the community eighty years before, is now a dilapidated relic left behind by the developments that have taken place around it. It stands alone on an ill-tended plot of land opposite the church and backing on to the George and Dragon, from which it is divided by an ivy-grown fence. At either end its doors are locked and through its dusty windows little of the interior is to be seen in the gathering dusk. On the ridge of the sharply sloped roof a pigeon struts perkily and dips its head to peck at something under a dislodged tile. From a single narrow window, high up under the angle of the peak which confronts the back of the pub, a chink of light shows briefly before it winks out. The pigeon loses interest in whatever is under the loose tile and flaps away to its roost, while high above an aeroplane traces its path across the deep

Story from Blushes 17 following the academic progress of Susan Maidment from  Oxford Candidates . The envelope bore the crest of St Edwards College and inside as expected was the invitation to interview. ‘How  exciting !’ exclaimed Susan’s mother, and it  was  exciting even though it was expected and an invitation to an interview didn’t mean you had got in. ‘What will you wear,’ Mrs Maidment went on excitedly. ‘Something nice and  grown-up  of course. You want to show them what a pretty young lady you are; they don’t want any of that shrinking blue-stocking stuff nowadays.’ Susan’s mother clearly hadn’t changed in her estimation of what counted as regards getting in to an Oxford College. Looking grown-up and, well, sexy had been the way to go and persuade Mr Fulton to give her extra tuition for the Oxford exam — and to be fair it had worked. Look pretty and sexy and be willing and co-operative and… well, do exactly what Mr Ful

Story from Blushes 11 Sometimes they were day girls, sometimes they were boarders; last year’s Oxford candidate had been a day girl. ‘Would you like a drink, Susan? A sherry or a gin-and-tonic? Now that you’re in the Upper Sixth I think that’s permitted, don’t you?’ Susan flushing slightly said she’d like a sherry, thank you very much, sir. It was almost 6 o’clock and Susan Maidment and her headmaster were in the latter’s study in his pleasant home some two miles out in the country. Mr Fulton had picked Susan up from her own home after school on this Friday afternoon at the beginning of term, to stay the weekend with him and Mrs Fulton. That lady was at present in the kitchen preparing the evening meal. The purpose of Susan’s visit was to discuss her future — her coming last year at school and her prospects thereafter. Susan’s mother was very keen for her to get into Oxford and it was well known that Mr Fulton had very good connections with St Edwards College in particular and ha