Okay …Simone not sounding totally convinced. “Look just keep it simple”.

Stealing a quick kiss before leaving she whispered you’ll be fine. Then she went back to her dorm, and hopefully back to bed to get some sleep. She did feel kind of guilty leaving Simone on her own.

It was now all in the timing, after freshening up and feeling confident about what might happen down stairs, Simone decided to just check in on Annabelle one last time. As luck would have it, she couldn’t help but hear Mother Immaculata coming up the stairs she could recognise those heavy footsteps anywhere. Annabelle still just awake pretended to cough, and sneeze. Walking in with out knocking Mother Immaculata stepped in to the room just in time to see Simone’s hand on Annabelle’s forehead like she was taking Annabelle’s temperature.

There you are Simone I wondered why you had not come down for breakfast this morning, what seems to be wrong with Ms Tillman? Mother Immaculata silently relieved that Cats concern was misplaced but now annoyed at herself for believing the young girl who has frequented her office on more then one occasion. Simone looking at her Aunty and as casually as possible replied, I think she may have a slight fever; Annabelle seems to think she caught a chill after the storm last night. I was about to get the nurse to have a look at her.

Oh was all Mother Immaculata could formulate. Well then I’ll leave you to it, hope you feel better soon Ms Tillman, and with that she left the room. But something did not sit right with Mother Immaculata, because unbeknown to Simone, her Aunty tho at times appeared to be blind to some things, she was never blind when it came to her niece Simone. For many years now Mother Immaculata was aware of Simone’s affair with Amanda, but put it down to schoolgirl crush or girls experimenting. Lord knows she was not so innocent herself but thankfully God is more then willing to forgive us our sins.

Mother Immaculata had once been a prominent young schoolteacher in her own right. She taught maths and science. So she was in tune with her students and knew the goings on of the younger women. Sigh, how things have changed. Even her relationship with Simone seemed distant now, this was one thing she did want to put right. How she missed the late night conversations over cups of coffee, now it was a glass of sherry or two to keep her company at nights. Yes she was going to make more of an effort to get closer to her niece again.