As "Rock of Ages" thundered out from the church organ, Prunella Drew took a deep breath and fainted, her limp body collapsing onto the hard church pew. A few seconds later, Irene went white and passed out, closely followed by Sarah and Amelia.
On the other side of the aisle, Jane Clayton only realised what was happening when she heard the thump of Sarah's hip hitting the edge of the pew and a distinct yelp of pain above the lusty singing around her. She tightened her lips, hitched up her skirts and crossed over to the senior girls' pew.
She advanced laboriously, tripping over the prayer stools and crushing the hoops of her crinoline past the hysterically weeping girls, but at last she managed to shake Amelia back to her feet and wave a bottle of smelling salts under Prunella's nose. By t
