Writing for Fun
October 2015
The Secret Garden - Jeanette Rothwell
Miss Jordan had been the Headmistress of Rosedean's School for Girls for nearly 20 years. She was highly respected and loved and had maintained a very high standard of education for the young ladies who had the privilege of attending the school.
When she first joined as a newly qualified teacher 40 years ago, she was a rather shy somewhat introverted young lady who found it difficult to get to know her pupils. She taught English Literature and Grammar and was a little too correct in her delivery to reach out to her pupils. Nevertheless, she was a very clever teacher and the exam results obtained by her girls were quite good.
Two years after her joining the school, it was decided to hire an Art Master. Along came Charlie Gibbs. Charlie was a pleasant looking young man, with a passion for art. He had a cheeky grin and teasing sense of humour. He took a fancy to Miss Jordan and she to him and the Matron noticed their sly glances, Miss Jordan's blushes and the warm look in his eyes every time he saw her.
Matron could see that this budding romance was getting nowhere so one day she got them together, marched them across the schools extensive grounds to a far corner. She mounted some rough steps and produced a large rusty key. In the crumbling wall was an iron door. She inserted the key, turned it rather stiffly and opened it to allow the couple to go through. There in front of them was a small area, covered mostly in flag stones, bird bath in the middle and rather straggly herbaceous border round the edge. On three sides it was enclosed by the old wall, but the fourth side had a very low fence and beyond that was a view of rolling hills.
The couple gasped at the view. Matron pointed out a garden seat that overlooked the open aspect. She explained that this secret garden had been in existence for quite a long time. She didn't know why it was there but suspected it was for previous members of the staff to get away from the clamour and noise of the school for a brief respite. Apparently the Caretaker knew of its existence and occasionally popped in to do a bit of weeding but otherwise hardly anyone knew it was there. She gave the couple the key and left them alone.
It was there that Charlie did his courting. They talked and talked and had a few chaste kisses and cuddles until Charlie found the courage to propose marriage. Of course she said, 'Yes,' and they were married in the nearby village church, attended by some other members of staff and a few of the girls (those who already had a crush on the Art Master and sighed to see him throw himself away on the English Mistress but still thought it was all very romantic).
Their marriage was a success and Miss Jordan (she kept her maiden name in school) softened considerably, enabling her to empathise with the girls, bring the classics to life, find enjoyment in some of Shakespeare's plays and look forward to their English lessons.
After 10 years of happy marriage, but, unfortunately no children, along came World War I. The war was already a year old before Charlie enlisted, much to Miss Jordan's regret. Every man had to do his duty, he laughingly proclaimed, and off he marched with a cheery wave and a promise to return soon. Sadly, that was the last she saw of him. All she could then do was to visit his white headstone in a vast foreign cemetery, filled with grief.
Her grief lasted for some time and the then Headmistress sent her away to a seaside town to recover. This wasn't really the remedy. She just wanted to get back to teaching which she did in a very short time, throwing herself into her work.
In the following years she was appointed Deputy Headmistress and, when the Headmistress retired, she received the final accolade of becoming Head of the school, a post of which she was proud and gave her the incentive to bring the school up to date in the Post War years.
She never forgot the Secret Garden and often paid it a visit, just sitting on the garden bench and remembering Charlie and his little jokes and teasing.
Today was her 64th Birthday and she knew that retirement was looming. Her dark curls were streaked with grey, she moved more slowly and her spectacles were a lot stronger giving her a rather myopic look.
At assembly that morning she gazed with pride at the assembled girls, all looking smart in their uniforms of white blouses, school tie, dark gymslips and mostly tidy hair. When she read the notices, the hymns they were to sing and a little lecture on behaviour, her voice was not so strong. The years of dedication and very hard work were beginning to tell. The girls filed out of the hall, past Miss Jordan. She smiled at them, leaned over to straighten the odd tie, pointed out a crumpled sock or muddy shoe, enquired after the health of some who had been off colour, and generally showed her normal caring personality.
The Matron was the same one who had aided Charlie's courtship all those years ago. She was also now showing signs of old age and she kept an eye on Miss Jordan, making sure she was not overdoing it and showing concern for her health.
After lunch that day, the School Secretary spotted Matron in the corridor and asked her if she had seen Miss Jordan as she had some parents waiting to see her. Matron gave it some thought, went to the key cupboard, noticed that the big iron key was missing and made her way, through the autumn sunshine, over to the secret garden.
She opened the door and immediately spotted Miss Jordon sitting on the garden seat. She appeared to have dozed off, with a slight smile on her face, but when Matron drew near, she sadly realised that Miss Jordan had passed on to be re-united with her Charlie, in their Secret Garden.