Chapter Nine
Susannah went to find Belinda and discovered her in her dormitory, lying naked on her front while another girl called Tina was pressing a bag containing ice cubes against the livid stripes across her back and bottom.
There was something about Belinda’s body that Susannah liked the more she looked at it. She was not fat but her ample curves and rounded fleshiness was in contrast to Susannah’s slimmer body.
‘Lie on the next bed,’ said Belinda. ‘Tina’ll see to you in a minute.’
Susannah noticed Belinda had dropped her hard-girl tone of voice and seemed friendly. It was probably unity in the face of adversity.
Tina had set the ice to one side and was now rubbing a cream all over Belinda’s back.
‘You’ll find this soothing,’ Belinda told Susannah, ‘and it deadens the pain. I’l
