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for the girl to finish her treat. Finally, she was ready to take the journey to St Leonards.

      The St Leonards girl was familiar with the routine, but this time she wouldn’t be making the return journey until Friday afternoon.

      Once they arrived at the imposing school, Lisbeth accompanied Lara to the Headmistress’s office where Mrs Humphries greeted them.

      They walked to the boarding school dormitory, Mrs Humphries leading the way. The headmistress showed the nervous new girl her bed and explained the cabinet next to it was where she was to store her possessions.

      

Lara’s Dormitory

      The room was stark compared to her room at Westmoreland. There were four iron beds, each with a chest of drawers but nothing much more adorned the room. In her room at home she slept in a beautiful cream four-poster bed, and not only had a chest of drawers but also had an ornate dressing table with three mirrors. She also had a large doll’s house with lots of dolls and toys.

      ‘I don’t think I’ll like it much here,’ she thought.

      It was time for Lara to join her class and reacquaint herself with her classmates after the long break.

      Lara was not what you would call the most popular girl in the class; she tended to keep her own company and not make friends easily. She created a wall around herself, determined not to be hurt again.

      The young student enjoyed her classes which allowed her to concentrate on things other than her sad life. At the end of the school day, when most of the other girls were either picked up or rode home, Lara and the other boarders returned to the boarding school for afternoon tea. After tea, they had sports activities for ninety minutes. Lara once again enjoyed playing hockey and tennis.

      The evening meal was served in the dining room at 6 pm, and then the girls went to the library where they were required to complete their homework. This was the regime that Lara and the other boarders followed each weekday except for Fridays. Lara always looked forward to seeing Mr Spencer waiting to take her back to Westmoreland for the weekend. This feeling of euphoria was offset by the sense of dread when Mr Spencer returned her to St Leonards on Sunday afternoon.

      Life as a boarder continued uneventfully. She had been eagerly awaiting the Christmas break, when Lisbeth and her cousin Andrew were going to take her to Raby Castle, in Dundas Scotland. The de Neville family had owned the magnificent castle for centuries.

      Mr Spencer was waiting for the eager young girl standing beside the car. As usual, it was he who would be driving the family to Scotland. He was as excited as Lara: he loved spending time at the castle and more importantly, hunting for deer in the estate’s magnificent woodlands.

      The car pulled up under Westmoreland’s portico where Lisbeth was waiting to greet Lara.

      ‘Good afternoon, young lady, are you pleased to be on holidays?’

      ‘Yes, of course, Nanny who doesn’t like being away from school? I’m looking forward to Christmas too.’

      ‘Well, come inside. Lucy baked your favourite today – scones.’

      ‘Yummy.’

      Lara sat down at the long kitchen table while Lucy the cook placed scones on a plate together with some made strawberry jam freshly made from strawberries grown in the manor’s vegetable garden and freshly whipped cream from the small dairy located on site.

      ‘Lara, as you know we’ll be travelling up to Raby Castle this holiday.’

      ‘Yes, Nanny. I’m so looking forward to it.’

      ‘How would you like it if we went early and spent Christmas day there?’

      ‘That would be great.’

      ‘Right, well that’s settled. We leave tomorrow.’

      Lisbeth spent the remainder of the day organising Lara’s suitcase and the extra provisions they required to celebrate Christmas at Raby Castle.

      She telephoned Andrew de Neville to inform him they would be leaving for Scotland the following morning. He had no problem with the new arrangements and promised to meet them at Westmoreland at 8 am the next day.

      December 24, 1949

      Andrew arrived on time. Mr Spencer loaded the car and the group left for Scotland at 8.30 am. Mr Spencer estimated the journey would take 8 hours including a lunch stop.

      The limousine parked in front of the magnificent 14th-century castle just on 5 pm, it had been snowing for the past few days and the grounds looked beautiful.

      ‘Nanny it looks wonderful! This will be my first white Christmas.’

      ‘It’s been a long time since I enjoyed a white Christmas, Lara,’ said Andrew.

      ‘How long is it since you were last here, Andrew?’ asked Lisbeth.

      ‘Gee, it must be ten years, I used to come here once or twice a year.’

      ‘Did you come here when my Daddy was here?’

      ‘I certainly did, your Dad and I were the best of friends. We explored the whole castle more than once.’

      ‘Maybe you could take me exploring.’

      ‘Yes, I’m sure I can.’

      ‘Well, come on everybody let’s get inside. It’s cold out here!’ said Lisbeth.

      The drawing room had a fire lit and a servant brought in hot chocolate for the newly arrived guests.

      

Drawing Room Raby Castle

      ‘Nanny, how will Santa know we are here?’

      ‘Don’t worry darling. I wrote him a letter.’

      ‘Oh good, I’m hoping he will bring me a bike.’

      ‘You never know.’

      Lisbeth, Andrew, and Lara ate dinner in the small dining room which also had a fire; in fact there were more than thirty fireplaces in the castle.

      The nanny put Lara to bed and read her a new book The Enchanted Castle by E Nesbit – a very appropriate title she thought.

      Lara woke early, keen to discover if Santa had found her at the castle, and crept downstairs looking in all the rooms she could find. The rooms were enormous – Santa could have left the presents anywhere. Lisbeth heard the little girl and followed her downstairs.

      ‘Has he been yet?’

      ‘I don’t think so, Nanny. I can’t find any presents. Not even under the Christmas tree.’

      ‘Did you look under the tree in the library?’

      ‘No, I didn’t think to look there.’

      ‘Well, come on. Let’s have a look shall we?’

      The two of them crept into the library just in case Santa was still there. Lara let out a little scream.

      ‘Look Nanny! He’s been! Look at the presents! And Nanny he’s brought me a bike!’

      The red bike was a three-wheeler driven by a chain, exactly what she had hoped for.

      Lara sat down on the floor and started to open her Christmas presents: there were books, dolls, and lots of new clothes. She was so excited.

      Once all the presents were looked at fondled and admired it was time for Christmas breakfast. Andrew joined them bearing gifts for both Lara and Lisbeth.

      Over

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