Ophelia stared at the camera, completely dumbstruck.
‘Miss Grimm?’ Tilde repeated.
Alice-Miranda gently prodded the woman’s leg.
‘Um, yes,’ Ophelia squeaked, her voice barely audible.
When it was clear that was all she was going to get, Tilde swiftly turned to the girls, who thankfully were much better at speaking on camera. She asked each of them a question and was pleased to see them bouncing off one another, talking about what had happened.
‘We’re terribly glad the family is okay,’ Alice-Miranda added, ‘although Mr Abboud is still in a serious condition. We are all sending our very best wishes for his speedy recovery.’
With everyone’s attention focused on the interview, no one noticed a figure slip into the room. Caprice’s eyes narrowed in envy. It wasn’t fair that these girls were being interviewed by Tilde McGilvray – she was a good news story too. Except she’d just received some very bad news. The television talent quest she’d been invited to take part in had been postponed indefinitely. She stood in the shadows, making sure that Miss Reedy didn’t spot her, and waited for her chance. She had a brilliant idea, as long as Tilde asked the right questions.
‘I imagine you girls have been thinking about what else you might do to help the family get back on their feet,’ Tilde said.
The friends glanced at one another. Alice-Miranda had already decided she would speak to her father about Kennington’s providing groceries for the Abbouds, but as the girls hadn’t regrouped since breakfast there had been no discussions about what else they might do. She thought it best not to mention the clothing drive on television as she was certain they could get enough donations from the girls at school and there was a risk of the family being inundated by the general public.
‘We could hold a fundraiser,’ Sloane said, and the rest of the girls nodded.
‘Maybe a cake stall?’ Chessie suggested.
Jacinta scoffed. ‘That wouldn’t raise nearly enough money.’
‘It would have to be BIG!’ Millie said, sweeping her arms in a wide arc and almost walloping Sloane in the face. ‘And fun so that everyone gets involved. I’m sure it costs a lot to rebuild a house and restaurant.’
‘Perhaps we should talk about it off camera with Miss Grimm and Miss Reedy first,’ Alice-Miranda advised.
‘Concert!’ one of them yelled. The girls turned to each other, confused about whose idea it was.
‘A concert!’ Millie repeated, her eyes widening. ‘For everyone.’
‘But with really good singers and bands – not just kids, but proper stars. They always raise lots of money, don’t they?’ Jacinta said. ‘It could be like a festival.’
‘The kids should be in it too – the Winchester-Fayle Singers can make their comeback,’ Sloane said excitedly, then grimaced as her stomach cramped. Unfortunately, this morning’s scrambled eggs were about to unleash their second wave of spite. Sloane clutched at her tummy as she let one rip.
For a second there was a stunned silence. Ophelia Grimm stared at her shoes in horror. Millie twisted her lips to stop from laughing while Chessie peered down the row, wondering who the culprit was. Sloane thought she might die right there and then on national television.
But Tilde McGilvray, ever the professional, piped up with a giggle. ‘Apologies for the noise, viewers. You can’t see him, but the school dog – what’s his name, girls?’ She looked at the children expectantly.
‘Fudge!’ Alice-Miranda jumped in. ‘His name is Fudge.’
Tilde giggled again. Millie did too. ‘It seems Fudge is a windy hound. Cheeky boy – go on get out of here,’ she said, pretending to shoo him away. Jacinta’s mouth opened. She was about to say that she couldn’t see Fudge anywhere but Tilde was too quick. ‘So, a festival?’ the woman said, turning back to the girls. ‘What a brilliant idea.’
Standing off-camera near one of the light tripods, Livinia Reedy had been swept up in the girls’ enthusiasm and was nodding and smiling. It was only when she noticed the look of horror on the headmistress’s face that Livinia made a cutting motion across her neck. She’d have to talk Ophelia around and it was probably best not to do it now.
Caprice smirked to herself. She would be the star of the show – an up-and-coming actress and singer – winner of the junior section of the National Eisteddfod. It was perfect. With her plan in place, she slipped out of the room.
‘Well, you heard it here first, ladies and gentlemen,’ Tilde said in a sparkly voice. ‘Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale will be hosting a concert to raise money for the Abboud family. Is there a date you have in mind?’ The woman looked at the headmistress, who seemed to be shrinking in on herself.
‘What?’ Ophelia blanched.
Tilde chuckled. ‘When you decide, just let me know and I will happily spread the word. Perhaps I could emcee for you and telecast it as a special?’ She turned to the camera and smiled. ‘Viewers, I’m sure you will agree what an impressive group of children and teachers we have here at Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale.’
Back at their flat, Aldous Grump had switched on the television in the sitting room while he and Aggie played a game before bedtime. The baby girl rolled over and sat up, then pointed at the screen. ‘Mama!’ she said.
Aldous peered at the set, not sure what had surprised him the most – his wife’s unscheduled television appearance or the fact their daughter had just uttered her very first word.
‘And we’re out,’ the executive producer called. The rest of the episode had been pre-recorded and was being controlled by another producer back in the television studio.
Tilde McGilvray stood up and smiled at the girls and Miss Grimm. ‘That was fantastic,’ she said.
‘Really?’ Miss Grimm blinked like a deer in the headlights. She stood up, smoothing her skirt. ‘We clearly have very different definitions of success. How on earth are we going to organise a concert? It’s preposterous. The costs will be exorbitant, let alone the time it would take to pull it all together.’ The woman glared at Millie, who hid behind Jacinta. Never mind that she had come across as a complete idiot, sitting there with her mouth opening and closing like a gasping guppy.
‘We can do it, Miss Grimm,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘I’m sure that Uncle Lawrence will have some contacts, and Miss Crowley was very excited about getting the Winchester-Fayle Singers back in action.’
‘That hardly makes a world-class show, does it?’ the woman griped. She spotted Livinia lurking among the crew. ‘And we haven’t consulted the Abbouds about any of this. It could come across as awfully patronising.’
Alice-Miranda bit her lip. In all their excitement, she and the girls hadn’t considered that at all.
Ophelia arched an eyebrow at Livinia. ‘A word. Now.’
As the two women disappeared into the corridor, Alice-Miranda walked over to Tilde McGilvray and held out her hand. ‘Thank you very much for the interview, Ms McGilvray. You ask such insightful questions and I do hope that Miss Grimm will come around to the idea of the festival.’
Tilde smiled, her white teeth gleaming under the stagelights, and took the child’s hand in hers, her gold bracelets jingling. ‘It was lovely to meet you, Alice-Miranda, and I mean what I said about spreading word about the concert. I’m happy to help,’ the woman said, handing the girl her card.
‘Did anyone else see Fudge in the room?’ Jacinta asked with a frown on her face.
The girls burst out laughing. ‘We’ll explain later,’ Chessie said, as Mrs Clarkson gathered them together. It was almost dinnertime and she had a surprise in store.
After they bade farewell to Ms McGilvray and the crew, the girls walked past Mrs Clarkson’s office. The door was ajar and it was clear that Miss Grimm and Miss Reedy were in the middle of a pitched battle. While Mrs Clarkson disappeared into the dining room with Sloane, Chessie and Jacinta, Millie grabbed Alice-Miranda’s arm and the pair hung back.
‘I thought it would be a good way to acknowledge what the girls have do
ne and get the school some free publicity. We’re not full at the moment, and you and I both know that it takes a lot of funds to run this place – especially since the expansion,’ Livinia said loudly.
‘But I left a note for you,’ Ophelia fumed.
‘Yes, and I have your note right here. You specifically told me that I should proceed if the opportunity for a suitable interview should arise.’ Livinia went to pull the paper from her pocket but couldn’t find it. She thrust her hand into her other pocket then opened the notebook she was carrying. She was certain she’d picked it up from her desk in Caledonia Manor.
‘So you’ve resorted to lying to me,’ Ophelia snapped. She sighed and shook her head. ‘I need an ally who works with me, not against me, Livinia. Now the girls will be all het-up about a concert that’s not happening.’
‘I think it’s a wonderful idea,’ Livinia retorted.
‘Well, I don’t,’ Miss Grimm countered.
Millie and Alice-Miranda looked at one another. ‘Oh, this is worse than I’d managed,’ Alice-Miranda said, wringing her hands.
‘And what were we thinking, saying we should have a concert and not just a concert – a festival?’ Millie said, berating herself. ‘That’s something professional event organisers do, not kids.’
The office door swung open and the girls jumped out of sight, behind a tall pot plant. Ophelia Grimm stalked down the hallway and exited the building.
Alice-Miranda wanted to make sure Miss Reedy was all right. ‘You go ahead,’ she said to Millie. ‘I won’t be long.’
Millie agreed, but only because whatever Mrs Jennings had cooked smelt absolutely delicious and she was starving.
In actual fact, Mrs Clarkson’s surprise was that Mrs Smith had taken charge of dinner for the night and had whipped up her famous lamb roast accompanied by baked potatoes and cauliflower cheese with lashings of gravy. To top it off, there was steamed chocolate pudding and ice-cream for dessert. After this morning’s egg-tastrophe, Mrs Jennings had been sent for some more mentoring with Ginny at the junior school.
Alice-Miranda hurried back to find Miss Reedy sitting with her head in her hands at the desk. Her misery seemed amplified against the cheery surrounds of Mrs Clarkson’s office, with its bright yellow polka-dotted stationery and the framed poster on the wall with the slogan ‘It’s a good day to be happy’. ‘Excuse me, Miss Reedy,’ she said, knocking on the door, ‘are you all right?’
Livinia looked up and hastily brushed the tears from her eyes. ‘I’m fine, Alice-Miranda,’ she said. ‘You should be at dinner. Off you go.’
‘I’m afraid I might have said something out of turn,’ the child said, inching into the room. ‘I was the one who mentioned the interview to Miss Grimm, but I had no idea it would cause problems between the two of you.’
Livinia sighed. ‘It’s not your fault. Miss Grimm and I have a difference of opinion, that’s all.’ She was racking her brain, trying to remember where she’d left Ophelia’s note. As soon as she found it, she intended to show the woman and demand an apology.
‘Well, if it means anything, I think the interview went swimmingly and Ms McGilvray asked terrific questions,’ Alice-Miranda said.
Livinia stood up and walked to the doorway. ‘No, it was a mistake. And so is the fundraiser – it’s far too much work and, really, it’s not up to the school to rescue the Abbouds.’
‘But the whole village wants to help,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘I’m sure if it was the school that had a fire, everyone would rally behind us.’
Livinia sighed again. The child was right, of course, but now wasn’t the time to further blot her copybook with Ophelia. ‘Run along and have your dinner before you miss out,’ she said, mustering a half-hearted smile. ‘And, please, no more talk about the concert – we don’t want the students getting themselves into a lather about something that’s not going to happen.’
‘Yes, Miss Reedy.’ Alice-Miranda nodded, though she was disappointed to hear the woman was giving up so easily. ‘Oh, and I’m sorry Miss Grimm’s decided to come back early from her maternity leave. I think you’ve been such an innovative acting headmistress. Our Friday afternoon clubs have been very popular with the girls and we’ve so enjoyed your assemblies. At least now you’ll be able to concentrate on your classes and not be torn in ten different directions.’ Alice-Miranda flashed her a smile and darted out into the hall.
A deep frown puckered the woman’s brow. Ophelia was coming back early? This was certainly news to her. When was Ophelia planning to tell her that and how on earth did the child know?
Alice-Miranda hurried to the dining room, wondering how Miss Reedy and Miss Grimm could be so confused about the same note. She had a strange feeling that there was something else amiss, but right now there were more pressing matters on her mind.
Alice-Miranda stared at the blank page in front of her. She’d just read an intriguing picture book about a fox and a bear and their journey together, though it didn’t take long for her mind to wander back to the feud between Miss Grimm and Miss Reedy and the part she’d played in fuelling it. She tapped her pen rhythmically on the pad of paper, puzzling over how she could fix things between the two women.
Millie nudged her friend and pointed out the window. ‘There’s some good news.’
Alice-Miranda pushed back her chair and scurried over to take a closer look. Jacinta and Chessie followed. Sloane, meanwhile, was busy chatting to Miss Crowley about creating a collage using mixed media to represent the various themes of the story she’d chosen. Alice-Miranda stood on her tiptoes and peered out the window to see Mrs Abboud hop out of a minivan with Mrs Parker. There was another lady in a sedan behind them. Minutes later, with a mountain of baby equipment unpacked, the ladies took the twins and little Hatice out of their car seats. There was no sign of the older Abboud girls, but perhaps they were at school.
‘That is a relief. I’m so pleased Mrs Abboud took up Miss Grimm’s offer,’ Alice-Miranda said, turning to her friends.
‘It’s fine for now, but they won’t be able to stay in that flat upstairs forever,’ Jacinta said. ‘I don’t imagine it would be terribly big and they are a large family.’
Tabitha returned to the front of the room and asked the girls to take their seats. ‘I just wanted to congratulate you on how hard you’ve all worked today,’ she said, fiddling with her bracelet. ‘I can see that many of you are making great headway on the unit already.’
Alice-Miranda felt a twinge of guilt. She’d barely achieved a thing, which wasn’t like her at all.
‘And I’d also ask you to spread the word that the first rehearsal for the Winchester-Fayle Singers will take place this Friday after school, here in the music room down the hall,’ the woman said.
‘Will everyone be involved?’ Jacinta asked innocently.
Caprice sniggered. ‘What Jacinta really wants to know is whether her boyfriend from Fayle will be coming over.’
‘Oh yes, the boys will be joining us,’ Tabitha said with a grin.
‘Is the concert still going to happen?’ a small girl called Lettie asked from the front row. Even though the other students hadn’t watched the television show last night, news of the festival had spread like wildfire.
‘I think it should. I’m sure that it would raise lots of money,’ Miss Crowley said. ‘Well done, Millie, for thinking of it.’
Caprice rolled her eyes.
‘I’m afraid that Miss Grimm and Miss Reedy aren’t very keen,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘Maybe if we formed a committee and organised everything ourselves, they might change their minds.’
Tabitha chewed on the end of her pencil. She didn’t want to overstep the mark, being new and all, but if she could help the girls pull off something amazing then hopefully the school would keep her. ‘Girls, I think we should do it,’ she said finally. ‘We have to at least try.’
A ripple of excitement ran through the room.
‘Yes!’ Millie hissed, clenching her fists.
‘Y
ou’d better get in touch with your uncle, Alice-Miranda, and see if he has any contacts for singers or bands,’ Sloane said. ‘I’m voting for Pretty in Pink and The Stingrays – they’re both awesome.’
Tabitha looked at the child curiously. Those were two of the most popular groups in the world at the moment. Sloane was likely aiming a little too high. ‘Might I ask who your uncle is, Alice-Miranda?’
‘Lawrence Ridley,’ Millie answered for her. ‘And his son, Lucas, is Jacinta’s boyfriend.’
Tabitha gasped. ‘He’s gor … very talented and I’m sure he’s well connected too.’
‘You were going to say gorgeous, weren’t you?’ Millie grinned with all her teeth. ‘And he totally is. My mum says she’d leave Dad in a heartbeat for Lawrence if he ever divorced Charlotte.’
Miss Crowley’s face turned the colour of an overripe tomato. ‘I’m sure your mother’s joking.’
‘I wouldn’t count on it,’ Millie said with a glint in her eye.
Jacinta raised her hand. ‘Miss Crowley, the lesson’s over.’
‘Oh, so it is,’ the woman said, grateful for a change of subject. ‘Now, girls, I’m going to make an announcement about singing practice at dinner tonight. Alice-Miranda, would you like to see who wants to be involved in the committee?’
‘I’ll get on it,’ the girl promised with a nod. There was still a niggle in the back of her mind about Miss Grimm and Miss Reedy, but hopefully she could talk them around. If the girls organised everything, there was no reason for them to say no. A family’s wellbeing depended on it. If Mr Abboud woke up to find that his home and restaurant were being rebuilt, that would go a long way to making him feel better. Granny Valentina always said that it was important for people to have something to look forward to.
Alice-Miranda Keeps the Beat Page 8