Free The Edge of the Fall by Kate Williams Page A

up. ‘You know, I’m nearly twenty-one now. I can go if I want to. You can’t prevent me.’
    She looked down at her mother and father. They seemed – suddenly – very small.
    â€˜No,’ said Rudolf. ‘We can’t. But we don’t have to pay for you. Celia, your cousin needs you to stay with her. The Black Forest we can think about later. When the political situation is settled.’
    â€˜Louisa can go to finishing school alone,’ said Celia.
    â€˜No, she can’t. She’s too young. You must go too.’
    Celia looked at them both, her cousin and her father. Perhaps it was the answer, her possibility of reaching Louisa, befriending her. ‘Alright,’ she said. ‘I’ll go.’ She snaked her hand across to Louisa’s. ‘We can go together.’
    Verena passed over the prospectus for Miss Trammell’s Finishing College. Flower-arranging. Dancing. Dining. Etiquette. Embroidery. Louisa put out a finger, traced the outline of a picture of a girl holding a flower.
    But then Arthur came home. Verena told him the plan over dinner that night.
    Arthur snorted, threw down his knife. ‘Ridiculous. Have you asked Louisa if this is what she wants?’
    â€˜Of course she wants to,’ said Rudolf, drinking quickly from his glass. ‘Verena’s poor sister would have wanted us to do our best for Louisa. And Miss Trammell’s is an excellent establishment.’
    â€˜She doesn’t want to. Can’t you see?’
    Louisa was looking at her plate.
    â€˜She does!’ said Celia. ‘You think no one would want to be with anyone but you.’
    Arthur stood up, threw back his chair. ‘Get up, Louisa!’ He walked around the table, stood behind her. ‘Tell them! You don’t want to go to this stupid school.’
    She looked up at him, her eyes fluttering rapidly. ‘I’d like to go to London. I told you.’
    â€˜Then you should go to London proper. Not flower-arranging in some place full of silly girls.’
    â€˜Now—’ Verena began.
    But Celia had already stood up. ‘Why can’t you stop it? Why can’t you let her make up her own mind? Why have you got to be in charge?’
    Arthur turned on her. ‘Rather than you? Is that what you mean? You just want to have everyone to yourself. And you do it by getting your claws in and hanging on tight. No one wants you otherwise.’
    Celia fell back. The cold water of his words hit her face. Verena leapt up. Rudolf was saying something. And then Louisa was standing. They all stopped, stared at her. She gazed back – for a moment. Then she turned, ran from the room.
    Arthur slammed out of the door after her.
    â€˜Don’t let him follow her,’ Celia said.
    Verena shook her head. ‘I’ll go. I’ll go and find her.’
    Celia stared at the door. ‘What happened?’ she said to Rudolf.
    He shook his head. ‘Who knows? Anyway, you can start as soon as I pay the fees, I think.’ He was going to do it, she realised. He was going to ignore the awful words Arthur had said to her. Just like her parents always did.
    â€˜I’m too old for finishing school.’
    â€˜You will be company for Louisa. And that’s what she needs.’ He turned away, walking slowly to his study.
    Celia turned to look out at the garden. A match shone against the darkness. Arthur was smoking out there. She wanted to go to Louisa’s bedroom, knock on the door. She could apologise for being unfair and shouting last night. But Verena was in there. She’d wait.
    She sat down at her desk. She barely used it these days, the thing was so small and rickety. Rudolf had bought it for her thirteenth birthday; pink and white, painted with flowers. She’d written at it, dreaming about her future, all the things she might do, the potential the teachers said she had. She wondered what any ofthe girls from Winterbourne were