That morning, the junior girls got led into chapel just before the senior ones, considering they were coming from the same dorm.

As Rose and Harriet sat down, Rose cast a glance towards the boys and saw Will, sitting in between Mathias and Ned. She smiled at him, and he grinned right back.

It was then that Rose heard Elizabeth whisper to Sheila in the row in front.

"Where's Matron?"

It was true. Up at the top of the hall, was Mr Cranbourne, checking his pocket watch. No one else.

Matron's chair was empty.

"Matron's never normally late," Rose commented vaguely.

And all around her, people seemed to be picking up on the same thing.

But when Sunday Service finally started, it was Mr Cranbourne leading it. Not Matron.

And he seemed stressed. He started very badly, saying, in a rather scared tone. "Welcome- welcome to our honoured guests!"

He started off to quiet, and ended too loud. Rose avoided eye contact with Harriet deliberately but caught Will's eye in the process, both of them sniggering slightly.

"May I first apologise on behalf of Matron Bottomley," Cranbourne continued. "She has been called away and will be absent from proceedings today."

Rose exchanged a frown with Harriet.

"And a very special welcome to Mr Melrose, who is here today to audition one of our best musicians, for a place at his music school
So, good luck to Ned, " Cranbourne gestured to Melrose, in the front row, and Ned, a few rows back, as he led an applause.

Rose smiled, looking over at Ned. Gideon had decided to take a rest from singing, but Ned had continued by the piano and was very good at it. Mr Melrose was here today to see what he could do and (hopefully) accept him into the music school. She clapped as loudly as she could without being told off.

She just hoped he made it.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

"Ned's going to be fine," Harriet reassured Rose at lunch.

"You're right," Rose nodded, looking at the toffee that had just been dropped on her desk. "Thank you," she added to the governor that had slid it there.

Ignoring the she-mob, who were theorising about Matron's strange disappearance, Rose turned to the junior's table, where a commotion had just taken place.

Eliza and Clara had been fighting over a toffee, and a cup had been knocked over in the process.

"Enough! Stop that!" Nurse Winterson, who came over to pick it up, told the two girls off.

"She started it!" Clara yelled.

"No, I didn't!" Eliza shot back.

"She took my toffee!"

"Clara, I'll deal with you later," Winterson promised, not saying anything to Eliza. Rose frowned. Just didn't seem fair.

"Right, juniors!" Winterson soon called. "Time to go! You're moving back into your own dormitory today! Form an orderly line, please, at the door."

"Have all the fleas gone?" Elizabeth called over from the senior table.

"It was a minor situation," Winterson said quickly.

"I don't want to go, Rose," Eliza ran up to her sister.

"Eliza, you have to," Rose sighed.

So it was that Eliza joined the line of juniors at the door, heading back to their dorm.

She hoped Eliza wasn't going to stay the bratty way she had been acting with Rose.

But she also didn't want her to be upset.

They were sisters, after all.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

Rose was bored out of her life.

The girls had been left alone, Macclesfield leaving to sort out some business they weren't allowed to be told, but that still didn't mean there was anything fun to do.

And Ned's audition would be finished now. There was nothing more Rose wanted to do than ask him how it went.

"What if Ned gets into the music school?" She asked Harriet, the two sitting on their desks, instead of behind them, for once.

"He could be famous one day," smiled Harriet.

"But- what if it's like Polly?" Rose asked. "What if he got in and he leaves today and I'll never see him again?"

"He wants to play, so why not let him?" Harriet shrugged.

Rose sighed, then set about getting up. "I need to see Ned."

But before she could even move, the door opened and in came Macclesfield.

Everyone scurried to their desks as she reprimanded them. "Er- I want the Book Of Judges finished by the time I get back! I shall be testing you on it later."

Rose rolled her eyes as the door closed again, and rested her head in her hands.

This was going to be a long day.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

"Right, this time, I'm going."

Rose stayed true to her word, got up, and tried to make it to the door.

But Sheila stood in her way.

"Move, Sheila, or I'll make you," Rose threatened.

"Poor Green," Sheila puckered her lips. "First Polly and now your precious Ned. You'll have no one left soon. He's probably already gone without saying goodbye."

"I said. MOVE!" Rose bellowed, shoving Sheila out the way and making it to the door-

"Cranbourne's coming!"

Elizabeth had yelled, and Rose wouldn't've believed her, but she heard the footsteps, and so reluctantly sat back in her seat, getting her book and pretending to read as Cranbourne came in.

But he had a man beside him. A bald man with an intimidating expression. So intimidating that all the girls stood up to greet him immediately.

Cranbourne just nodded and said. "Back to work, girls. "

Rose sighed and sat down, getting her book again.

"As you can see, we're instilling discipline and much needed moral education," Cranbourne told the man in a low voice.

As soon as the door closed, Monica frowned. "Who was that?"

"Must be Matron's replacement," said Elizabeth.

"Don't like the look of him..."

Meanwhile, Harriet was saying to Rose. "I know you wanna see Ned, but-"

"It would take a miracle," Rose agreed.

And then both girls turned to look at something.

A vent on the back wall.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

"You're going to the tench," said Sheila, as Rose tried to remove the vent covering.

"Isn't putting me in there your life's ambition?" Rose rolled her eyes, pummeling the vent. "It won't- come off-"

"You'll get stuck in there!" Harriet protested.

Rose shrugged. "I'll be fine-"

Well, until Macclesfield walked into the room.

"Green!"

Rose jumped as Macclesfield snarled. "Get down."

Rose slowly jumped down from the bench she was standing on.

"Right, girls," Macclesfield said. "Over to this side, all of you."

Rose frowned as she and Harriet squished onto benches on the right side of the room, along with all the other girls. Why did Macclesfield ask them to move-?

"Boys, over there."

Rose fought to keep the smile off her face as the boys came in. There was Will, grinning too, as he walked over, and Mathias behind him. Walter and Gideon were behind them, and at the back of the five came Ned.

"Get reading, I don't want to hear a word out of any of you," Macclesfield snarled.

"You got your miracle," Harriet informed Rose, as Will came over to them.

"Ned got in."

Rose could've jumped for joy as she looked at her brother. "You did it-!"

"Er- Walter, Vince, pull that blackboard here!" Macclesfield shouted, putting a blackboard in the middle of the girls and the boys. Rose almost snorted. She was leaving the room, and like that would stop the girls and boys mixing.

She would be speaking to Ned in no time.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

But as it turned out, she wasn't leaving.

She sat at the front with her book, looking at Rose if she even had thoughts of glancing at Ned or Will.

But then Nurse Winterson came in the door, and changed things.

"Ah, Nurse Winterson," Macclesfield said.

Winterson came over and whispered something into Macclesfield's ear. Rose strained but she didn't catch it.

Macclesfield, meanwhile, closed her book with a slam and got to her feet. "Don't even think about getting out your seats."

And then she left.

And, naturally, as soon as the door closed, the books were away, the seats were on the desks and Rose was shoving the blackboard away.

"I'm so proud of you!" She said, hugging Ned tightly.

"I knew you could do it!" Harriet added.

"Rose-" Ned started.

"Tell me everything!" Rose grinned. "What did Mr Melrose say? When do you leave? Can you come back and visit?"

"We- we didn't talk about a lot," sighed Ned.

"So, how did it go, then?" Rose smiled.

"Alright, calm down!" Will, who had previously been talking with Walter, came to stand next to Ned, his grin from ear to ear.

Rose felt that fluttering again, just by looking at him.

She had got her miracle, indeed.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

Vince soon got centre of attention, of course, holding up a small piece of paper that Ned lunged for immediately he saw it.

"Give it back-!"

Vince held it back, smirking and unfolding it, reading it out. "I regret to inform you that I'll be unable to admit Ned to my music school. It's disappointing that the boy, in the circumstances, did not seem to enjoy playing as much as he used to. My apologies, but I do not feel I can currently admit him."

Ned's face dropped and he squeezed his eyes shut. Vince smirked at him. "Shall I go on?"

"How about you shut up, or I punch you?" Rose snarled from where she was watching, stuck with shock.

Ned had- he had lied. He hadn't been interested enough to pursue a career in music.

Will snatched the letter out his hands, not getting to read it before Rose snatched it out his. "What happened?" She looked at Ned.

"You're our best musician!" Walter added.

Rose nodded. "I thought that-"

"You don't know anything!" Ned yelled at her. "None of you do!"

The door slamming open startled everyone.

Winterson and Macclesfield were back, and Macclesfield looked straight at Rose. "Where is she?"

"Who?" Rose was genuinely shocked.

"Don't give me that!" Macclesfield marched up to her. The crowd thinned, but Will stayed beside Rose.

"Eliza's gone missing," Winterson told Rose. "Do you know where she would go?"

"What? No!" Rose protested.

"Then you're gonna have to come with us-" Macclesfield seized Rose's arm.

"But-"

"Now, Green!"

"Ned-!" Rose shouted as she was dragged from the room.

"Nurse, Ned has-!" Vince tried to speak.

"Shut up, Vince!" Will hit him in the chest.

Rose sighed, so confused, as she was led from the room.

But she did not notice that Ned had slipped from it when all eyes were on her.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

"She must be hiding somewhere!" Macclesfield yelled as they searched the kitchens.

"Well, she's not hidden in the bread bin!" Ida exclaimed, tired of this search.

"Where is she?" Macclesfield demanded at Rose again.

"I DON'T know-!" Rose started.

"Don't give me that, Green-"

"Right, right, right!" Winterson said. "You go to the juniors, Nurse Macclesfield. We'll find her."

Macclesfield took a deep breath, leaving the room with a slammed door.

Rose shook her head. "I don't know where she is-"

"Yes, Rose. I got that," Winterson said. "Listen, she can't have gone far. Let's go and do another check."

Rose sighed.

Why was she dragged into this?

𑁍𑁍𑁍

They were walking down the stairs when the saw both Eliza and Ned, coming back in from the courtyard.

"Eliza!" Winterson scolded.

"Where have you been?" Rose looked at Eliza, but she was talking to both of them. She hugged Eliza quickly before Winterson started.

"Eliza, you've caused a lot of trouble today," she said. "Let's just get you back to the dorm. Ned, back to class, please. Rose, come up and settle Eliza."

"No," it was Eliza who spoke against this. "No, I've... I've got to do this on my own."

She smiled slightly at Ned, making Rose think they'd had a chance to talk before coming in.

As Winterson and Eliza headed up the stairs, Rose turned to Ned. "What did you say about Mr Melrose?"

"I shouldn't have lied," sighed Ned. "I just... I've been losing interest in piano for a bit now. And I wanted to tell you, but when Gideon said he wasn't doing it, I... I think I just took the responsibility a bit too much. And when I didn't get in, I... I lied to save face."

Rose smiled slightly. "Ned, you're good. You're good at everything. It doesn't matter if you don't want to do piano, your friends and I will still support you. Always, Ned, always."

Ned smiled. "Thanks, Rose."

Rose hugged him, smiling as they pulled apart, heading back to class.

𑁍𑁍𑁍

They heard the shouts from down the corridor.

Rose thought it was a fight.

But, upon getting into the classroom, it was apparent that it wasn't.

Will and Vince were locked in an arm wrestle, both staring the other down intensely. Everyone else had picked sides, and were shouting them, cheering them on.

"COME ON, WILL-"

"YOU CAN BEAT HIM, VINCE-"

"PUSH HIS HAND DOWN-"

"WILL! WILL! WILL!"

"COME ON!"

Rose giggled slightly as she and Ned joined the crowd on Will's side. But not before Ned had a small talk with Judd, that Rose noticed.

She got straight down to cheering for Will, though, pushing herself to the front, next to Harriet and Mathias as Will started to push Vince's hand down-

"COME ON, WILL!" She yelled, slamming her hands on the table. "COME ON, NEARLY THERE!"

"LET'S GO-"

"WILL, YOU'RE THERE!"

"COME OOOOOONNNNNN!"

The shouting increased tenfold as Will slammed Vince's hand on the table, getting up with a massive grin on his face and surprising Rose by lifting her up and spinning her round.

A sound somewhere between a squeal and a giggle left Rose's mouth as she suddenly became more aware of everything. His hands, gently holding her waist, he way his body felt against hers and the way he wasn't squeezing her too tight but tight enough to keep her grounded.

"WHAT is the meaning of this?!"

Will quickly dropped Rose as everyone in the room turned to see Cranbourne and Macclesfield at the door.

The crowd thinned so everyone could be seen as Cranbourne bellowed. "Matron will be informed of this deplorable behaviour!"

"But- Matron's not coming back," Elizabeth uttered with a frown.

"Of course she's coming back!" Cranbourne shouted sharply at her.

"And you shall all be punished," added Macclesfield.

"Hmm," agreed Cranbourne.

What no one expected was for Ned to start forward and shout. "No! No one will be punished"

"Ned," Cranbourne warned. "That place at Mr Melrose's school could disappear for you."

"It already has," admitted Ned. "And nobody's getting punished! Right?"

"Right," nodded Mathias.

"Right," agreed Harriet.

Ned looked at Cranbourne and Macclesfield. "We've been on our own all day!"

"Yeah," Will agreed with a smirk. "I wonder what Matron would think of that."

"And your precious governors," Rose added.

Cranbourne and Macclesfield looked from them to each other for a few seconds.

Then Cranbourne said. "Yes, well, it's been a- very busy day. I think we should forget about all of this. Time to return to your dormitories. Boys, line up."

"Girls, follow me!"

But, before lining up, Will took Rose's hand, and squeezed it. It was gentle, it didn't hurt, but it helped reassure the girl.

And, as the boys filtered out the room just before the girls, Will caught Rose's eye and smiled.

Rose just knew her cheeks would be red.

But she couldn't help it.

Recently, she was starting to... feel something more around Will.

But it didn't scare her.

It excited her.