Cruel and Unusual - serialised novel EXCLUSIVE to Steemit Part 6

Exclusive for Steemit - serialisation of Cruel and Unusual – my second novel

Episode 1 Here

Episode 2 Here

Episode 3 Here

Episode 4 Here

Episode 5 Here

Though she awoke early, David was gone. She washed and dressed, then went to wake Jack. She was not surprised when he was not in his room and was less surprised to find him in the kitchen scullery, half way through his breakfast.

“Good morning Jack,” she said, kissing the top of his blonde head. “Good morning Mrs. Flint, thank you for making his breakfast.”

“Good morning mama.” Jack said past his food. His cheeks bulged with bacon and sausage, a little dribble of egg yolk running down his chin.

Amelia was shocked at his lack of manners.

“Jack put down your cutlery. Finish the food you have in your mouth,” she said and waited while he did just that. “What is the meaning of these atrocious manners? This is not like you.”

“I am a wolf mama. We eat our food as quickly as we can, for we have to be on the move, ready to go at a moment’s notice,” he was eager in his explanation.

Amelia’s face blanched as he made his statement. “You are most certainly not a wolf, young man!”

Mrs. Flint, watching as she wiped her hands, she saw the look of shock pass over Amelia’s face and the disappointment which crossed Jack’s face a mere moment before annoyance replaced his expression.

“Ma’am, sit down. You look awful. That’s the second plateful and the first went down in much the same way. I’m sorry ma’am; I figured he was hungry after missing his supper last night.”

“No, it is all right, Mrs Flint. I suppose I over reacted to his bad table manners.”

Jack had resumed eating, but in front of his mother, he decided that he would be a polite little boy once more. He gulped down his tea and said, “I have finished my breakfast, mama. Please may I leave the table?”

“Yes Jack, you may. Now go and wash and then get ready for school.”

When he had left the room and pounded his way up the stairs, Amelia turned again to Mrs. Flint. “That is not like Jack. Where on earth did he get those manners from?”

“He certainly did not get them from you, or from Mr David,” Mrs Flint said. “And not from me or Florence neither,” she added her defence.

“Of course not from you or Florence, I never would have thought such a thing,” Amelia said.

Their conversation stopped as Jack made a terrific noise on his way back down the stairs.

“I am ready mama,” he said, interrupting the women.

“You have not had time to get ready! You have not had time to wash and those clothes are the same ones that you had on yesterday Jack, whatever has come over you this morning?”

“I like these clothes mama. They smell of the wolf cubs from yesterday.”

“You must put on clean clothes for school Jack. Cleanliness is next to godliness. Now please hurry, you will be late.” Amelia got up to go with him.

“I am not going to school mama. I am practicing to be a wolf.”

Amelia blanched again, but recovered her composure well enough.

“Jack, darling, you cannot become a wolf. You are a little boy and little boys go to school.”

“I won’t go!” Jack said and he turned and ran to the front door.

He was surprised to find it still locked because Florence had not yet unlocked it.

Amelia caught up with him at the door and caught hold of his arm. She had to tighten her grip as he struggled.

She almost dragged him up the stairs and she had to lock the bathroom door in order to prevent him escaping as she washed his face and hands.

The noise he made as he went up the stairs the first time had awakened Florence and now, she and Mrs. Flint stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up.

“Ooh he’s for it. He shall be late for school and you know how strict they are on punctuality,” Florence said, folding her arms across her chest, emulating Mrs. Flint.

“Yes, but they’re even more strict on cleanliness, Florence. If he turned up with dirty hands and face, with clothes smelling of wolf, he should be packed off for home with a letter and a flea in his ear.”

“Smelling of wolf?” Florence was incredulous.

“So he says. He was petting them at the Zoological Gardens yesterday with Mr David. Wolves, I ask you.”

They ceased their commentary as the mistress of the house and her petulant looking son appeared with his face and hands scrubbed and clean clothes on.

“That’s better, master Jack, you’re all clean and shiny like a new pin, ready for school.” Mrs. Flint said, smiling.

“I don’t want to be like a new pin! I want to be like a wolf!” he shouted and both servants blinked their surprise.

“Would you like me to take him to school, ma’am? I’ll drop him off on my way over to see my mother if you’d like.”

“Oh thank you Florence, but I will take him, although you are welcome to walk along with me if you would like. The company would be nice.”

The three of them set out for school, Jack was unwilling - almost to the point of being dragged.

“Jack this must stop. You are a little boy and this make-believe is all very well but you have to be a little boy at school.” Then she paused as she thought. “I shall make a bargain with you.”

“What bargain?” he asked after a short time.

“If you are a good boy at school, then you may be a wild wolf cub after you have done your home lessons. You may even be a little bit of a wolf at dinner time, but not too much for you made a frightful mess at breakfast. So then, is that a bargain?”

Jack thought for a moment. “May I have raw meat?”

“No dear, you are not a wolf really, so your constitution cannot deal with raw meat, it would make you ill.”

“May I make a wolf den in my bedroom and sleep in it?”

“Perhaps you may just for tonight and only if you promise to do well at your studies.”

“Yes mama, I promise.”

Amelia kissed him and gave him an extra hug as she left him at school that morning.

She walked on into the village with Florence and said goodbye at Florence’s mother’s door. As an afterthought, Amelia knocked upon the door that Florence had disappeared into. When she opened it, Amelia said “Florence, thank you for staying up late last night and for your help this morning.”

“I hardly did anything this morning, ma’am.”

“You offered to help and that has taken up time you would have spent with your mother. Take the whole of today off and return to work tomorrow morning if you would like.”

“Oh that would be lovely ma’am, thank you so much.”

“I shall see you tomorrow then. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye ma’am.”