Read A Witch In Winter for Free Online Page B

first.’
    ‘Good.’
    She pushed past him without another word and was gone.
    Seth turned to me and took my face tenderly in both his hands, turning my flaming cheek to the light.
    ‘Oh, Anna, I’m so sorry.’ He touched the swelling bruise gently. I winced, and his face reflected my pain like a mirror. ‘I should have warned you. I knew she was on the war-path but I never guessed she’d stoop to this … Oh Christ.’ He touched my lip. ‘It’s bleeding.’
    ‘What’s going on?’ I said thickly. It was hard to speak and the side of my mouth felt swollen. Seth looked strange – there were dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept, and his clothes were even scruffier and more dishevelled than usual. ‘Are you OK?’ I asked, through the blood, but he ignored my question.
    ‘We’d better get you to the nurse’s office.’
    He put an arm around my shoulder, leading me across the car park, through the throng of whispering, gawping spectators, who parted like the Red Sea to let us through. Their faces were alive with shock and, in more than a few cases, envy. I guessed many of them would have swapped with me, burning face and all, in order to be beside Seth’s side. I’d rather have been almost anywhere else.
    ‘What on earth!’ exclaimed Mrs Carlisle as she unlocked the first aid cupboard. ‘Who did this?’
    Seth opened his mouth to speak, but I got there first.
    ‘No one, I walked into a lamp-post.’
    Mrs Carlisle turned back and raised one eyebrow sarcastically. ‘Really.’
    ‘Yes.’ Except it came out more like ‘yesh’.
    ‘A hand-shaped lamp-post?’
    I shrugged and she rolled her eyes.
    ‘Well, I can’t make you tell me, but there’s a stringent anti-bullying policy at this school and if I see you in this office again I’m going to be asking some questions – and I won’t be asking you , Missy.’
    I shrugged again, and then winced as she dabbed some TCP on to my split lip. Seth stood next to me holding my hand with his head bowed. He looked the picture of guilt and I got the impression that Mrs Carlisle thought he was probably responsible. It would have helped if I had the first idea what was going on, but I had no intention of dobbing on Caroline. There was obviously some major misunderstanding and I didn’t really want to turn scab in my second week at Winter High.
    When Mrs Carlisle had finished dressing the cut she gave me an icepack to hold to my cheek and said, ‘I’m taking you to your first period, Anna. What is it?’
    ‘Classhics,’ I slurred.
    ‘Right. Seth, where are you supposed to be?’
    ‘Chemistry, but Mrs Carlisle, could I please walk Anna—’
    ‘ No ,’ said Mrs Carlisle so forcefully even Seth’s obvious determination quailed a little. ‘I want a word with Anna. Alone.’
    As we walked across the quad she tried to get more information out of me by casual chit-chat, plainly not satisfied with the story she had so far. But I wasn’t talking – for one thing it hurt too much – and my short yes-or-no answers weren’t getting her anywhere. Eventually she had to leave it with my story of a lamp-post and a flat-out assertion that Seth was not involved in anCP volved y way. She dropped me at the door of my Classics class, where June and Liz were goggling at me from their table, waiting for the story.
    There was an audible hum as I slid into my place, and my cheeks began to burn again, not just with the sting of Caroline’s slap. All heads turned to look at me until Mrs Finch barked, ‘Back to the board, please.’
    It was a class discussion of the homework essay, so we had no time to talk, but at the end of the lesson June dragged me aside.
    ‘What did Seth say?’
    ‘Nothing,’ I said with difficulty, trying to move my mouth as little as possible. My lip had started to clot and every word cracked the scab painfully. ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘You mean he didn’t ask you out?’
    ‘No! What on earth do you mean?’ I was so surprised I