The Princess of the School

The story opens on a crisp, pre‑dawn morning at Chilcombe Hall, a bustling boarding school just a week from Christmas. Lamps flicker in the corridors, maids hustle with breakfast, and the gardeners load carts while the pupils, still half‑asleep, whisper excitedly about the approaching holidays. Their usual routines give way to a rare freedom—running through halls, singing on the stairs, and planning the rush to catch early trains.

In the Blue Bedroom, a lively quartet of girls—Lilias, Dulcie, Gowan and Bertha—join the larger exodus, each dreaming of a different way home. Some hope for a carriage ride pulled by beloved horses, others imagine a future with private aeroplanes, while one simply longs to reach the station in time. Their chatter reveals friendships, sibling rivalries, and a hint of anticipation that something beyond the ordinary may be waiting just beyond the school gates.