CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
Esther stirred. She became aware of a presence. There was someone in the hospital room standing beside her.
Her eyes fluttered open and she turned her head. It was very dark in the ward and all she could make out was a dark shape.
“Oliver?” she croaked.
“It’s me,” came Edmund’s voice.
Esther felt herself deflate. “What do you want, Edmund?”
He took a seat on the edge of the bed, perching beside her, far too close for comfort.
“I wanted to make a confession,” he said.
Esther was too exhausted to ask him what that meant. Her eyes already felt overly heavy. She let the lids close again.
Edmund’s voice floated into her ear.
“You see,” he said, “I think I did something very bad. I think when Professor Amethyst finds out he will expel me from the school. It’s just, I
