04 Village Teacher (34 page)

‘Can you come with me, please, Jack?’ he said.

He opened a door, beckoned me to enter and then walked away. The office was spacious and beautifully furnished and Miss Barrington-Huntley was standing by the window and staring out. She held a sheet of paper in her hand.

‘Come in, Jack.’

I shut the door. She walked to her desk and sat down.

‘Please,’ she said and gestured to one of the high-backed chairs that were arranged in an arc around her desk.

I sat down and she placed the sheet of paper on the leather-bound blotting pad in front of her. Then she stared at me and appeared to be weighing her words. ‘Jack, you had a good interview this morning. There’s no doubt the panel are aware of your strengths. How do
you
think it went?’

‘From my point of view it went well,’ I said. ‘It appeared the chair of governors was interested in my willingness to take on a teaching commitment.’

‘That’s right. The present head has been very active in the classrooms and he’s keen for this to continue.’

I said nothing but relaxed a little in my seat.

‘You will be aware that it is at this stage I have a word with each candidate to confirm whether or not they would accept the post if it was offered … should they be invited to go forward to the afternoon. It may be, of course, that
only
one person will go forward.’ She glanced down at the sheet of paper. ‘However, I thought it wise to share a few thoughts with you before we go any further.’

I was curious. This was unexpected.

‘Jack … I know how hard you have worked at Ragley School and we’re all very grateful for your efforts.’

‘Thank you,’ I said and wondered what was coming next.

‘There’s no doubt that the post at Gorse Manor would be a much bigger challenge for you. Even so, you have shown that you have the appropriate leadership and management qualities required for a post such as this.’

I couldn’t work out whether she was trying to let me down gently, although my instincts were telling me otherwise.

‘I’m also aware of your personal circumstances and know that your career decisions also have an impact upon Beth.’ She smiled. It had always been obvious that this formidable and powerful chair of the Education Committee had a soft spot for Beth. ‘And, of course, Beth has made a good start at Hartingdale.’

‘She’s very happy there, Miss Barrington-Huntley,’ I said, ‘and, of course, we both want to stay in North Yorkshire.’

There was silence as she picked up the sheet of paper on her desk and stared at it. ‘I have here a press statement that will be made available today to the governing body of every school in our area prior to it appearing in tomorrow’s
Yorkshire Post
and local newspapers.’

She looked me squarely in the eyes. ‘I thought it only fair to share this information before you progress further
with
the interview process for Gorse Manor. I know that it must have been difficult for you trying to plan your professional future, not knowing the fate of Ragley School.’

‘Yes, it has,’ I said simply.

‘I’ll give you a few minutes to read this,’ she said and slid the neatly typed script towards me. Then she walked over to the window and stared out at the distant hills.

My hands were shaking as I read the press statement. It was written in cold hard clear language with no room for ambiguity.

When I had read it I stood up and walked over to her.

‘Well?’ she said very quietly.

We stood there side by side and I followed her gaze. In the far distance, the cluster of beautiful villages at the foot of the Hambleton Hills shimmered in a summer heat haze.

I handed her the letter and sighed deeply as I recalled Beth’s words:
Do you want to be a village teacher all your life?

For the first time the answer seemed clear.

And in a heartbeat I knew what I must do.

About the Author

Jack Sheffield was born in 1945 and grew up in the tough environment of Gipton Estate, in North East Leeds. After a job as a ‘pitch boy’, repairing roofs, he became a Corona Pop Man before going to St John’s College, York, and training to be a teacher. In the late 70s and 80s, he was a head teacher of two schools in North Yorkshire before becoming Senior Lecturer in primary education at Bretton Hall near Wakefield. It was at this time he began to record his many amusing stories of village life. He lives in York and Hampshire.

Visit his website at
www.jacksheffield.com

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VILLAGE TEACHER
A CORGI BOOK: 9780552157889
Version 1.0 Epub ISBN 9781409094074

First published in Great Britain
in 2010 by Bantam Press
an imprint of Transworld Publishers
Corgi edition published 2010

Copyright © Jack Sheffield 2010

Jack Sheffield has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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