Parsley is a tart in a 1920s British boarding school

The senior boy remains beside the desk while Parsley stands within the closed study. Shelves of Greek and Latin volumes hem them in, and the catalogue slip stays folded in Parsley’s fingers.

He draws a small sealed note from inside his coat and holds it out. The paper bears no visible address beyond the recipient’s name, written in a firm hand.

His gaze drops briefly to the catalogue slip, then returns to Parsley. The instruction makes the errand a test: discretion in the library, usefulness on the way there.

Beyond the closed door, the corridor remains quiet. The senior boy waits beside the desk with the sealed note extended, while the library and its occupants lie somewhere beyond the west stair.

He gives the directions twice, marking each turn with a finger on the catalogue slip. The explanation costs Parsley several minutes, but leaves the route clear enough to follow without guessing.

Parsley slips the note securely into his fingers and leaves the study. He follows the west stair and the quieter passage, reaching the senior boys’ library without being stopped, though he cannot be certain no one noticed him.

Inside, a broad-shouldered young man with sandy hair and a scar beside his left eyebrow looks up from a ledger. The library’s other occupants remain bent over their books.

Parsley crosses the short space to the ledger and places the sealed note directly into the senior boy’s waiting hand. The transfer is clean and immediate.

The broad-shouldered boy turns the note once between his fingers, inspecting the seal and the handwriting without breaking either. His scar catches the gaslight as he looks back at Parsley.

He keeps the sealed note closed in his palm while waiting for the report. Around them, the library settles again into its restrained hush.

The senior boy studies Parsley’s faceThe senior boy, a young man in a dark school uniform with a pale shirt and dark shoes, studies Parsley’s face, then the quiet doorway and the corridor beyond it. Nothing in the boy’s recollection suggests pursuit or interruption.

He turns the sealed note beneath the library’s gaslight, checks the unbroken seal once more, and slips it inside his coat without opening it.

The senior boy returns to his ledger. Parsley is left beside the desk while the library resumes its restrained hush, the errand completed without discovery.

He indicates a small service cloth and polish beside the desk, then returns his attention to the ledger. Parsley takes the materials and kneels near the edge of the room.

Parsley works the cloth carefully over the leather, keeping his movements small and orderly. The quiet task gives his hands occupation while the senior boy reads and writes above him.

The senior boy offers the other shoe without looking away from the ledger. Parsley receives it and continues the service in the library’s restrained hush.

Parsley finishes the second shoe, then quietly gathers the loose papers, aligns the ledger, and clears crumbs and scraps from the senior boy’s desk without disturbing his writing.

Parsley follows the instruction precisely. The desk becomes orderly without drawing notice from the other readers, and the ledger remains open to its original page beneath the gaslight.

The tidy desk earns Parsley continued access, but the senior boy has converted the favour into a definite obligation. He resumes his ledger work and keeps the reply to himself.

Parsley remains quietly beside the arranged desk, with the polished shoes and ordered papers making his usefulness visible without interrupting the library’s restrained hush.

The senior boy finishes his entry and closes the ledger. He studies Parsley for a moment, as though measuring the usefulness of a servant who has already proved discreet.

He writes a brief reply, folds it, and seals it before Parsley. The errand is granted its purpose, but the return order fixes a cost: Parsley will miss supper and risk censure for lateness.

He places the sealed reply in Parsley’s hand, then draws the ledger back into its ordered position. The promise of later service is neither disguised nor negotiable.

The library’s quiet closes around the command. Parsley has secured continued private access, but it is now tied to obedience, a missed meal, and a second summons.

Parsley leaves the library at once, keeping the sealed reply secure between his fingers. He takes the west passage quickly, avoiding the main landing as instructed.

At the stair, his hurried foot slips on the polished edge. He catches himself against the wall, scraping his palm and bruising his knee, but the reply remains uncreased.

The pain slows him only for a breath. He continues through the passage beside the prefects’ studies and reaches the private study before the evening bell.

The senior boy opens the door at Parsley’s arrival. Parsley enters, crosses to the desk, and places the sealed reply directly before him.

He takes the reply and examines its seal without breaking it. Parsley remains standing beside the desk, his scraped palm stinging and one knee stiff beneath his uniform.

The senior boy closes the study door and gives Parsley the private instruction. Parsley submits without argument, and the service is completed out of view.

Afterward, the study is quiet beneath the gaslight. Parsley remains standing beside the desk, his scraped palm stinging and his bruised knee stiff from kneeling.

He studies Parsley’s posture, then returns the sealed reply to its place among the papers. His manner remains controlled, treating the completed service as an established arrangement.

The private service leaves Parsley with a minor soreness that should heal with time and ordinary care. The senior boy gestures towards the door, dismissing him until another summons.

Once outside the private study, Parsley finds a secluded washroom and locks the door. He uses cool water and a clean scrap of linen, working carefully despite the stiffness in his bruised knee.

His limited skill betrays him. The linen catches instead of settling gently, and the attempt leaves the injured place sharper and more irritated than before.

He stops before repeating the mistake. The scrap is damp and unusable, while the soreness now makes ordinary movement uncomfortable and leaves no reliable dressing in place.

Parsley rinses the linen and conceals it beneath the washstand, but the failed treatment has created a fresh problem: he must manage the worsening irritation without drawing notice.

He straightens his uniform and leaves the washroom slowly. The injury remains minor, yet his attempted care has offered no relief and cannot safely be repeated in the same manner.

The request sounds more exposed than Parsley intends. The senior boy’s attention leaves the sealed reply and settles on him, coolly measuring the admission.

He indicates the washroom with a brief movement of his hand, refusing both examination and practical treatment. The dismissal leaves Parsley without the safer help he sought.

The advice is cautious but impersonal, and his refusal makes repeating the request here pointless. He returns his attention to the desk, leaving Parsley to manage the discomfort discreetly or seek formal care.

He dismisses Parsley with a curt gesture. Parsley leaves the private study and follows the corridor towards the sanatorium, moving carefully as the soreness makes ordinary steps uncomfortable.

The sanatorium stands quiet beneath the evening gaslight. An elderly woman in a dark brown dress and white apron, lean and sharp-featured with a long, lined face looks up from a narrow desk; her iron-grey hair is pinned severely, and a small brass key hangs at her waist.

Matron closes the sanatorium door and draws the curtain across the small examination space. Parsley submits quietly, lowering himself as directed while the gaslight falls across the clean basin and folded linens.

He follows her instructions and allows the private examination to be completed. The soreness is confirmed, with irritation but no sign that rough handling has caused a serious injury.

The examination’s crouched position leaves Parsley’s bruised knee stiff and aching when he straightens, but Matron completes the gentle treatment and secures the dressing without worsening the injury.

Matron washes her hands and records the treatment in her book. Parsley has received proper medical care, though his knee remains stiff and the evening’s obligations still await him beyond the sanatorium.