God's Country

Part Forty-One

'Where I come from you're not raised to think on your own. It's not that you're pushed to read the Bible. The Bible is read to you.'

Abel Ferrara

Emma curtseyed to Miss Sarah, as she had been told to call her classmate. She was all ready to go, but Sarah Clarke asked Mrs Stone if she could just check her nervous charge for the week over, simply to be sure. Miss Sarah was one of nine girls within the Christian Humanities program earmarked as a possible guardian, and they had all been assigned to take care of one of the other girls for a week, as work experience, outside of school hours. Emma had understood that it would largely be an experiment confined to the College, but the trainee guardians were being encouraged to organise some afternoon activities, and to offer to help with anything else that their temporary charges parents might feel appropriate. Miss Sarah had volunteered to take her into College, to save Mrs Stone the bother, no doubt eager to get a good report and extra credits. So Emma stood in her hall whilst Miss Sarah made quite sure that she was properly dressed, explaining to Mrs Stone that she would be held responsible for any shortcomings. She was very thorough, as she was being taught to be. She did not undress Emma, but she lifted her skirts and petticoats and made sure that everything was right.

"Sorry Mrs Stone, she is fine," Sarah Clarke turned to Mrs Stone, as if to apologise. "I would get punished if anything was wrong and we are all being taught never to assume anything...to always check for ourselves."

"Miss Sarah, it is fine...really...I am just glad Emma will get so much care and attention from you this week," Mrs Stone sighed, watching Miss Clarke reattach Emma's mantle. "She is usually a good girl...but we have agreed that you will have every right to admonish her in conjunction with your teachers. My daughter can only benefit from having her own guardian all week and we are quite happy for you to do anything you like with her after College...as long as we know where she is, of course."

"Of course, Mrs Stone...I was hoping to take her out after College, and then maybe bath her and put her to bed one night when I bring her home. It would be such good practise, if it did not inconvenience you or your husband?" Miss Sarah asked and Emma groaned into her muzzle. It was bad enough visiting with girls who had guardians without having one of her own, even if it was only for a few days. "She does have a sleeping gown, doesn't she? If not I can borrow one from the College...?"

"She has everything you need, Miss Sarah...I promise." Mrs Stone assured her, minding her manners herself, very aware that the child would be acting as guardian to her as well as her daughter in many ways, but also keen to set a good example. It was an unusual situation for her and her husband would not give a child like Sarah any real power, but Mrs Stone was still a Daughter of Eve. She had to show proper respect in God's love.

'Faith accepts the Bible as the word and will of God and rests upon its truth without question and without other evidence.'

Edward McKendree Bounds

"Charles...thank you for finding the time to see me," Philip Henderson held out his hand as Charles Buckingham strode confidently into his office.

"Oh...I couldn't resist one last visit to Central Office," Charles smiled, taking the nearest armchair. "A chance to say a fond final farewell to old memories..."

"It doesn't have to be your last visit, you know." Henderson suggested, deciding not to beat around the bush as the opportunity to broach his subject presented itself. "It's not too late to return to the fold and still have your debate?"

"I beg your pardon?" Charles feigned surprise. But he had expected something like that, of course. He was well aware that most of the seats the CDP were fighting were Conservative ones. It was a calculated risk for the most part, in that Reformist policies were likely to have more appeal for natural centre right voters. But they had also targeted backbench nonentities who would not be missed. Despite their majorities Alistair Forbes considered them the most vulnerable to a skilled attack from the CDP's handpicked stars. Like Stephen Reynolds, his own opponent; never a star, some rather embarrassing expenses issues and an old-fashioned Conservative image. No one, least of all Philip Henderson, could argue that Reynolds was the future of his party.