Millie grinned. ‘I wasn’t planning to.’ She did, however, fleetingly wonder whether she had opened an umbrella inside or walked in front of a black cat right before Caprice had arrived at the school.
Louella Derby stood up and looked over the heads of the crowd to catch Alice-Miranda’s eye. ‘Thank you,’ the woman mouthed before dashing off in the direction of the staff bathroom.
The two friends quickly conferred and settled on taking the group through the library, which had lost its Goldsworthy prefix after Alethea left the school and her father was sent to prison. They were greeted in the foyer by Mr Gordy Winslade, the recently appointed librarian. For a while there, Miss Reedy had looked after the collection on top of her English classes. However, it had all got a bit too much. The woman was a whiz, not a magician, so before embarking on maternity leave, Miss Grimm decided that a specialist staff member would be a valuable addition to the school.
‘Good afternoon,’ the man said warily, tugging on his silver beard. ‘What’s all this?’
Alice-Miranda quickly explained. She and Mr Winslade were old friends. Prior to coming to work at the school, he had been in charge of the Highton Mill Public Library in the village adjacent to her family home, Highton Hall. It was Alice-Miranda’s mother who had alerted the old man to the opportunity, and they’d all been thrilled when he got the job.
‘Oh, splendid,’ the man enthused. ‘I’d love to talk about the library – you know it’s my favourite place in the world. Well, not just this library, although it is special in its own way. I love all libraries. Wherever there are books, there is knowledge and information, emotions, imagination, characters and pagination.’ His voice was getting higher and higher.
As it sounded as if the man was about to break into song, Alice-Miranda tugged on his sleeve. ‘I’m sorry, Mr Winslade,’ she whispered, ‘but we don’t have long as Millie and I will need to get to assembly and we still have lots to see.’
Mr Winslade blushed. ‘Forgive me, child. It’s just that once you get me started, it’s hard to get me to stop, and I can’t wait to be able to help all of you find stories that you love or information you need.’
‘He’s an odd little man,’ the haughty woman said, loud enough for all to hear. This time she earned herself arched eyebrows from every parent in the room. ‘Don’t look at me like that. He is,’ she protested.
‘He’s also one of the kindest people you’d ever meet,’ Millie said. ‘We’re big on that at Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale.’
As the group exited the building and crossed the flagstone courtyard towards the classrooms, Miss Reedy came striding up to them. ‘What’s all this?’ she asked over the top of her glasses.
Millie explained what they were doing, which saw Miss Reedy’s eyebrows jump up in surprise. She’d offered to take tours for Ophelia, but the woman had turned her down, saying that Livinia had enough on her plate. She thought they were getting back on an even keel after she’d apologised for the mix-up with the note – despite the fact it was Ophelia who should have been eating humble pie when all the enrolment enquiries began rolling in.
Alice-Miranda turned to the assembled crowd. ‘Please allow me to introduce Miss Reedy, our acting headmistress while Miss Grimm is on maternity leave. Miss Reedy is the most marvellous English teacher.’
‘Why aren’t you in there conducting the interviews if you’re the headmistress?’ one of the fathers chuckled. ‘Are you only pretending?’
Livinia smiled tightly. ‘I think you’ll find that it’s much better to have your interview with the real McCoy. I’ll just get on with running the school while you’re keeping her busy.’
The group of parents and children stood in a huddle, some pointing out parts of the campus, others blank-faced.
‘Miss Reedy, we actually came over to talk to you before assembly if we could,’ Alice-Miranda said.
‘It’s about the festival,’ Millie added, taking advantage of the fact that Miss Reedy might think twice about saying no in front of all the prospective students and their parents.
‘We discussed that on Monday evening, girls, and now is not the time to raise it again. You know Miss Grimm’s feelings on the matter,’ Livinia said with a pointed look.
There was a general rumbling of discontent through the group.
‘That’s a pity,’ a man in a pinstriped suit said loudly. ‘We saw the girls talking about it on the telly and were so impressed. That’s one of the reasons Barbara and I decided to enrol our little Tuesday here.’ He glanced at the girl beside him, who was in possession of two long plaits that reached almost to her knees.
Livinia swallowed hard. Her husband had been rabbiting on at home about the event, saying that all of the staff thought it was a wonderful idea, but she’d also told him in no uncertain terms that it wasn’t going to happen.
‘But we’ve organised everything,’ Millie said in a wobbly voice. The festival meant so much to her – to all of them – that she hated the thought that it might not go ahead. ‘We have a committee and Alice-Miranda is the chairperson and I’m the treasurer and everyone has jobs and we even have the most fantastic name – The Fields Festival. It’s a play on Winchesterfield. And we’re going to have it in the field in the front of the school. Miss Crowley’s been helping us.’
Livinia frowned. ‘Has she now?’ As a new member of staff, surely the woman had enough to do already – and she was yet to have her first rehearsal with the Winchester-Fayle Singers.
‘We’ve got The Stingrays,’ Millie blurted.
Alice-Miranda’s eyes were the size of dinner plates while several of the girls and mothers behind her squealed loudly. Or perhaps they had come from the two fathers at the back, who were clenching their fists like excited schoolgirls. ‘Really?’ she mouthed to Millie, wondering if her friend had somehow received an update.
Millie shrugged while the gaggle of parents began talking over the top of one another and saying how they were going to get their tickets right away. It was bedlam. Livinia Reedy couldn’t believe her ears. The idea that they would have The Stingrays at the school was thrilling. They were the biggest band in the world at the moment, and while she was no aficionado of pop music, she had been known to sing along to them on the radio and they always made her smile.
‘Who else have you secured?’ she asked.
Alice-Miranda jumped in quickly with the list she had so far, which mostly included locals and, of course, Caprice.
‘And we’re hoping to get Nick Waterford,’ Millie added. ‘He’s a good friend of Alice-Miranda’s parents.’
‘Millie,’ Alice-Miranda whispered sharply, ‘we don’t know for sure yet.’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Millie whispered back. ‘I think Miss Reedy’s going to say yes anyway – just look at her.’
‘Oh my word.’ Livinia suddenly felt faint. He was more her style. She’d loved Nick Waterford since she was a young girl. She’d been to several of his concerts and thought he was incredible. He was getting on a bit now, but the idea of having him at the school was almost too much. Her spine tingled at the prospect.
‘I almost forgot,’ Alice-Miranda said, pulling the envelope from her pocket. ‘Mrs Derby asked me to give you this.’
Seeing Ophelia’s handwriting, Livinia opened the letter and read it very carefully. She wasn’t about to be caught out a second time, though she was surprised by the contents. ‘Well, girls, it sounds as if you have everything in hand,’ Livinia said, finally allowing herself to smile.
‘You mean we can go ahead?’ Millie asked, glancing at Alice-Miranda.
Miss Reedy nodded and held up the letter. ‘I have Miss Grimm’s blessing right here. She says she’s reconsidered, so you can make your announcement in assembly.’ It was going to be a very happy assembly indeed, as she’d also planned to acknowledge the girls for their bravery too. The announcement of the festival would be the icing on the cake.
‘Yes!’ Millie fizzed, high-fiving Alice-Miranda.
; ‘And I’ll be taking over liaising with your committee,’ Miss Reedy added. ‘Miss Crowley has enough to do settling in.’
Millie and Alice-Miranda looked at one another.
‘This is excellent news,’ said the man in the suit, and his sentiments were echoed around the group.
Livinia Reedy bid them farewell and dashed away. Perhaps Mr Grump had managed to change his wife’s mind about the event, but whatever the reason, she was glad the woman had. The school would be full in no time flat and she was certain Ophelia would recognise how much the television interview and festival had to do with that. There was no way Benitha Wall would be continuing as deputy. The position would be Livinia’s – of that she had no doubt.
Tabitha Crowley hobbled up the path, cursing her choice of shoes. She’d have to remember to wear sensible ones given the walk between the two campuses. She was about to duck upstairs to change into some flats when Hephzibah Fayle appeared in the hallway.
‘Excuse me, dear,’ the old woman called, bustling over to her. ‘This came for you and had to be signed for.’ She held out a large brown envelope. ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I thought it was easier than sending the poor man away only to have to return tomorrow, especially as it looks as if it might be important.’
Tabitha caught sight of the logo in the top-left corner and drew in a sharp breath. She wasn’t fond of official documentation. In her experience, it never brought good news. ‘Thank you,’ she said, taking the envelope.
‘Please join us for supper on Sunday, dear,’ Hephzibah said, her blue eyes shining. ‘I’m going to do a pork roast with crackling and baked vegetables. It’s Mr Pratt’s favourite.’
Tabitha nodded absently, her mind elsewhere. She thanked the woman again, then powered up the stairs to her flat, opening the envelope before she had unlocked the door. The letter was from the solicitor’s firm Brown, Brown and White. Tabitha scanned to the bottom of the page, barely believing her eyes. She read it again, slowly this time. According to Mr Brown, they hadn’t been able to locate her for the reading of the will, which made sense as it took place while she was moving to Winchesterfield.
Tabitha stared at the number, counting the zeros over and over. It hardly seemed real, having scrimped and saved every cent she could since her parents’ accident. It had happened during her last year at school and it always surprised her that she’d not only completed her final exams, but had excelled in them. Her mother and father had endured an up-and-down life, financially speaking. Her father, Anthony, was a wheeler and dealer and had invested heavily in the property market right before the biggest crash since the Great Depression. Her parents had lost everything and it was only because her mother, Tripp, had paid her school fees years in advance that she was able to keep her position after they died. But Tabitha was a pragmatic soul and not prone to melodrama. Besides, her parents had left her in boarding school from the age of nine while they pursued the next deal and the next after that. She’d learned to be self-sufficient. They loved her – that was never in doubt. She just didn’t suit their schedule or lifestyle.
So, while Tabitha missed them, life had gone on. She’d been far more upset when her great-aunt had passed away recently. It was Aunty Verve who had made sure that she always had somewhere to go for the holidays, who she spent Christmases with and from whom spectacular gifts would arrive on her birthday.
But this was completely unexpected and more than she would ever need. A single tear spilled onto her cheek. She could finally put down roots. She could enjoy her work and concentrate solely on her career – perhaps even do some travel. Tabitha clutched the letter to her chest and looked skyward. ‘Oh, Aunty Verve, thank you. Thank you so, so much.’
‘Well, that was a waste of time,’ Jacinta sighed as the group left the meeting room in Caledonia Manor, where Miss Reedy had just spent the last hour going over everything they’d already organised with Miss Crowley.
‘Miss Crowley should have been there,’ Sloane said. ‘She knows all that stuff. And what was Miss Reedy talking about us having The Stingrays and Nick Waterford on the bill?’
Millie grimaced. ‘I may have said something when Alice-Miranda and I were trying to persuade her that the concert should go ahead.’
‘And no, they’re not booked,’ Alice-Miranda said, ‘but there’s still time.’
‘Good one, Millie.’ Sloane groaned, then turned to Alice-Miranda. ‘I hope your uncle is up for some smooth-talking because I don’t fancy our chances of getting The Stingrays – they’re the most famous band in the world, and isn’t Nick Waterford about a hundred?’
‘He’s not that old,’ Millie said, rolling her eyes. ‘My parents like him and we need parents to bring kids, so there has to be something in it for them.’
‘Except that we don’t have him,’ Sloane countered.
‘I’ll speak to Aunt Charlotte tonight to find out whether Uncle Lawrence has had any luck,’ Alice-Miranda said.
The girls were due to meet the rest of the Winchester-Fayle Singers in the music room at five o’clock. They raced upstairs and along the corridor, where they could hear the piano, and were surprised to discover Miss Crowley sitting behind the keyboard instead of Mr Trout. The woman stopped when she spotted the girls.
‘Come in, everyone,’ she said, beckoning them over. ‘I hope you had a productive meeting. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to join you.’
‘We were too,’ Sloane said as the girls sat down.
Jacinta made a beeline for Lucas, who was sitting beside Sep in the front row. ‘Hi,’ she said, tapping him on the shoulder. He grinned at her but there was something in his eyes that caused Jacinta’s stomach to tighten. ‘Is everything okay?’
Lucas nodded. ‘Better now that you’re here,’ he whispered.
Jacinta bit her lip then smiled as he jumped up to get her a chair.
‘How’s things with your dad?’ he said quietly as Miss Crowley directed Millie to pass out the sheet music.
‘He’s taking me to acrobatics tomorrow,’ she said. ‘You know it’s the first time ever.’
‘Wow, that’s amazing,’ Lucas replied. ‘Would you believe that my mum’s going to be here tomorrow too?’
Jacinta was taken aback. ‘I thought she was in New York.’
‘She was, but Aunt Lily’s been in hospital and Uncle Heinrich needs some help with my cousins,’ Lucas explained. ‘She’s bringing Jasper and Poppy over with her as well as her new fiancé, which is exciting and kind of terrifying.’
‘But you’ve talked to him before?’ Jacinta said.
‘Only on the phone and that’s different to meeting someone in person. What if I don’t like him or he doesn’t like me?’ Lucas said uneasily.
‘He’s not going to like you Lucas,’ Jacinta replied, causing the boy to frown. ‘He’s going to love you, just like everyone else – me especially,’ the girl said, her cheeks flushing. ‘Maybe I can come and see you tomorrow, meet your mum’s fiancé and make sure that he’s good enough for her. It would be great to catch up with Jasper and Poppy as well.’
Alice-Miranda was perched behind the pair and couldn’t help catching the end of their conversation. ‘Jasper and Poppy?’ she said, leaning forward. Lucas and Jacinta quickly relayed what was going on but left out the mushy bits.
Lucas’s aunt and uncle and their children lived on the farm at Highton Hall, the Highton-Smith-Kennington-Joneses’ estate. Alice-Miranda had known them all her life and they were like family to her too. She’d only met Lucas a few years ago, and at the time he was a very angry young man. He’d never known his father, who they later found out was the famous movie star Lawrence Ridley. For quite a while Lucas was upset with his mother for keeping the truth from him, but in the end it all worked out and Lawrence married Alice-Miranda’s Aunt Charlotte. Father and son had become very close and now Lucas and Alice-Miranda were cousins by marriage.
‘Is Lily all right?’ Alice-Miranda asked. ‘I’m surprised Mrs Oliver didn’t mention it, but perhaps
she’s had a lot on her plate since Mummy and Daddy have gone away.’
Lucas nodded. ‘It was a slightly complicated appendicitis, and as Heinrich’s been harvesting, Mum’s offered to help out.’
‘When’s your mother getting married?’ Jacinta asked, praying it wasn’t too soon.
‘Next school holidays,’ Lucas said. ‘I’ll be going to New York for the wedding. Then I’m off to stay with Dad and Charlotte and the twins for the rest of the break.’
Jacinta felt her stomach knot again. His whole family was going to be in America now.
Alice-Miranda couldn’t help noticing the worry seeping into Jacinta’s features, and she had a feeling it had everything to do with what Mrs Parker had said last weekend. She hoped it wasn’t true for both Lucas and Jacinta’s sakes. Lucas’s dad had gone to Fayle, so she couldn’t imagine there was any reason for him to leave. It was family tradition and he was a star student.
Once Millie had finished passing out the sheet music, Miss Crowley stood at the front of the room with a broad smile on her face. ‘Listen up, everyone,’ she said with a clap of her hands. ‘I’d like us to learn some new songs for the concert. We need to rehearse at least twice if not three times a week, and I’ll do my best to find times when there’s nothing else on.’
Lucas reached across and squeezed Jacinta’s hand. ‘Finally, we’ll get some time together,’ the boy whispered in Jacinta’s ear. She could feel her cheeks blaze, but he was right – it was the best news she’d had in ages.
‘Okay, is everyone familiar with this song?’ Tabitha said, playing a few bars on the grand piano.
‘This is my mum’s favourite,’ Sloane said. ‘If it’s on the radio, she turns it up super loud, which is a blessing because her voice is a cross between a strangled cat and a dying elephant seal.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Sep said, turning to shoot his sister a glare. ‘It’s much worse than that.’
The rest of the class burst out laughing.
Alice-Miranda Keeps the Beat Page 11