Shiverton Hall, the Creeper by Emerald Fennell Read Free Book Online

cinder toffee says she’s already dobbed Cornwall in to Long-Pitt.’
     
    George and Arthur returned to Garnons at the end of the day to find a thick envelope in each of their pigeonholes. George pulled his out and noted the spidery writing. ‘Long-Pitt,’ he groaned. ‘The Wednesday Afternoon Activities have obviously been allocated.’
    Arthur braced himself. ‘Picking up dog poo for me, then.’
    They tore open the envelopes.
    ‘Oh,’ George said, surprised. ‘I’m helping supervise the Grimstone Primary football team. I’m terrible at football!’
    Arthur looked at his card curiously. ‘It says: Generational Assistance . And there’s a name: Mrs Todd . What’s this?’
    George smiled. ‘Ah. Oldie wrangling.’
    ‘That makes even less sense,’ Arthur replied.
    ‘You help out an oldie from the village. As in, you’re given a Grimstone granny and you go and have tea with them and listen to their stories and get their shopping and things.’
    ‘Why don’t we swap?’ Arthur said. ‘I’m good at football and you’d love oldie wrangling. You love tea and stories.’
    ‘Would there be cake?’ George asked, tempted.
    ‘They’re old people! Of course there’ll be cake.’
    ‘OK, done,’ George said, swapping his card with Arthur’s.
    Toynbee appeared from the library, his arms filled with a heap of history books, catching Arthur and George mid-swap.
    ‘Nice try,’ Toynbee said, ‘but I’m afraid Long-Pitt has forbidden trading. She has allocated every activity personally.’
    ‘Well, she hasn’t done a very good job of it,’ George replied sulkily.
    ‘Sometimes, Mr Grant, it is a good idea to do things that we are not good at. It is often then that we learn something about ourselves.’
    ‘I’ll learn how to get kicked in the shins by a bunch of eight-year-olds,’ George grumbled.
    Toynbee peered at Arthur’s card. ‘Oh! Mrs Todd!’ he exclaimed. ‘Well, Arthur, it seems you’ve won the lottery. What luck! Do send her my regards. A wonderful woman, wonderful!’
    With that, Toynbee wandered off, humming a jolly tune. Arthur and George looked at each other.
    ‘Looks like someone’s got a crush!’ George said. ‘Do you think you get extra credit for matchmaking?’

Chapter Five
    When Wednesday afternoon came, the majority of the students in Arthur’s class were grumbling about the activities that they had been allocated. Penny had been signed up to the school newspaper – ‘If I have to write a story on late library books I’m going to kill myself’ – along with Xanthe, who had already filled a notebook with article ideas. Jake was painting the sets for the school play, supervised by Cornwall, and was looking forward to it more than he’d thought he would be. George was feeling even more glum now that he had discovered he would be coaching football with the Forge triplets.
    ‘You may never see me again,’ George said mournfully, as he and Arthur climbed on the rickety old school bus. ‘I’ll be mounted and put on the wall of the Forges’ hunting lodge.’
    Arthur shushed George. Dan Forge was making his way towards them at the back of the bus, his brothers filing behind him.
    Dan nodded at Arthur and said, through gritted teeth, ‘Hello, Arthur. Hope the new term is treating you well?’
    Arthur blinked back at Dan; it took him a moment to find his voice. ‘Er . . . yes, thanks, Dan.’
    ‘Good-o,’ Dan replied, one of his eyes twitching with the effort of being civil. ‘Do you mind if we sit with you?’ he grunted.
    ‘No,’ Arthur said, convinced he was walking straight into a trap.
    Dan’s gaze transferred to George. ‘Get out of my seat, then, cretin,’ he sneered.
     
    ‘I am so excited,’ Xanthe lisped, her ponytail bouncing behind her. She had gone for an unusually tame hairstyle that morning in order to look as much like a serious journalist as possible. ‘I’ve always wanted to work for a paper. Breaking stories, fighting corporations, getting