‘He showed us his teeth like this.’ Hatice bared hers and made a whinnying sound.
Ada laughed. ‘Did you give him a treat?’
Hatice shook her head. ‘Alice-Miranda did, but he tried to chomp her finger. He has very bad manners.’
‘And stinky poos.’ Esma fanned her hand in front of her face. ‘Like the twins.’
‘I don’t think you can talk.’ Ada grinned. ‘Where is Zahra?’ she asked, looking behind them.
‘She ducked off to the bathroom,’ Alice-Miranda said, wishing the girl would appear. She hated telling tales, even when they were for a good reason. Fortunately, Esma and Hatice had spotted Cleopatra at the far end of the garden and ran off to play with her. ‘How’s Mr Abboud?’ Alice-Miranda asked. She sat on the blanket and reached out for Hamza’s tiny hand.
‘The doctors are happy with his progress. They may even bring him out of the coma later in the week,’ Ada said. She picked up Miray and cuddled the snuffly infant to her chest.
‘That’s good news. The festival plans are coming along well too,’ Alice-Miranda said.
‘You must let me know how we can help,’ Ada said. ‘Perhaps I can cook if we can find some babysitters.’
Alice-Miranda nodded. She launched into a detailed description of everything the committee had planned but made the mistake of glancing at her watch.
Ada’s eyes narrowed. ‘Where is Zahra, really?’ she asked.
Right at that moment, Zahra sped around the corner. Seeing her mother, she quickly tore off her headphones and dumped them and her backpack among the dahlias. ‘Sorry, I had to get a drink,’ she puffed.
Ada raised an eyebrow. ‘And go to the toilet?’
‘Yes, I was busting,’ the girl replied, flashing her mother a smile.
Alice-Miranda sighed with relief. ‘I was just telling your mother about the festival.’
Zahra hoped she hadn’t said anything about the talent quest.
‘Your mother thought she might help with the food,’ Alice-Miranda said, her brown eyes wide.
Ada stood up and placed Miray into the double pram that had been part of Mrs Parker’s procurement. She then lifted Hamza in beside her. ‘Come along, Esma, Hatice,’ Ada called. ‘I need to make a start on supper.’
The pair lingered, not wanting to leave their new friend.
‘Thank you for looking after the girls,’ Ada said, smiling at Alice-Miranda. ‘You are our guardian angel.’
‘Mrs Abboud. Would it be all right for Zahra to come and have dinner with us in the boarding house tonight?’ the girl asked.
‘Oh, I am afraid I need her to help me with the children,’ Ada replied. Spotting the disappointment on her oldest daughter’s face, she added, ‘But perhaps another time. I know it is hard for Zahra to always be minding the little ones.’
‘Thank you, Mama,’ Zahra said, brightening.
Ada walked ahead, pushing the twins while Esma and Hatice danced along beside her.
‘How was it?’ Alice-Miranda whispered.
‘Wonderful,’ Zahra said, beaming. ‘I have a new song and it’s exquisite.’
‘You know, Esma and Hatice might still spill the beans,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘In any case, you should tell your mother about your lessons.’
Zahra nodded. ‘I will, but not just yet. It would be far better that she sees me perform on the day and then afterwards I will tell her everything and deal with the consequences. I promise.’
Percy Pratt leaned his elbows on the desk and rubbed his throbbing temples. He’d been marking all afternoon and had already downed two paracetamol to deal with the pain, but there was one more thing he had to finish before he could rest. He picked up his pen and began to write. It was all going well until the phone rang, causing him to smear the page.
‘Drat it!’ Percy cursed. He pushed back his chair and hurried over to answer the call. ‘Hello Mother,’ he sighed. ‘Of course I was going to ring you. It’s …’ He pulled the phone away from his ear as the elderly woman berated him for his tardiness, which was not fair at all. Percy’s life was as neat and tidy as the bottles lined up by order of height on the shelves in the Science storeroom. His living quarters were immaculate too. The single bed was made with perfect hospital corners and topped with a hand-made crocheted rug his mother had insisted he bring with him. There wasn’t a speck of dust despite his penchant for collecting all manner of scientific curiosities, which adorned the coffee table and bookshelves. He had mazes and several versions of Newton’s cradle with the silver balls he liked to set off all at the same time. There were balancing men and spinners and magnets suspended in liquid, some of which he had made himself.
His eyes fell upon the framed poster he’d purchased at the Science fair a few weeks back. It was hanging proudly on the wall with a host of others, proclaiming that If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the precipitate. When he’d shown it to Josiah on their way home, the man had stared at him blankly. He’d had to explain what it meant and was greeted with hearty guffaws. Honestly, the fellow was a disgrace to the profession.
‘Mother, I have something I need to finish. I’ll call you back later,’ Percy said, and hung up the phone.
He considered the ruined page, then bunched it into a little ball and tossed it away. It rolled and skipped to the edge of the desk, where it teetered for a few moments before falling through the open window and into the garden below. Percy was so busy redoing his work that he didn’t notice it disappear.
Alice-Miranda glanced at her watch. If she hurried, she still had time to visit the Parkers. She dropped by the boarding house to let Mrs Clarkson know where she was going and bumped into Jacinta, who was standing in the doorway of her room with a peculiar look on her face.
‘Is everything okay?’ Alice-Miranda asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Jacinta replied in a wobbly voice. ‘Lucas was just here and he was acting like a complete weirdo, as if he had something to tell me but couldn’t. He’s going to live with his mother in America, I’m sure of it.’
Alice-Miranda didn’t really have time to talk, but she hated leaving her friend alone in her time of need. ‘I was just on my way to visit the Parkers and I’d love some company. Would you like to join me?’
‘I’m not that desperate.’ Jacinta sniffed and mustered a smile. ‘But I’ll come with you and go and see Mummy. I left a book at her place, which I need to pick up.’
Alice-Miranda grinned and the pair of them set off towards the village. ‘How was your dinner last night?’ she asked.
‘I was sceptical at first,’ Jacinta admitted, ‘but I think Daddy’s really going to try this time. He’s even helping me to organise some of the entertainers for the festival – and he’s doing it himself, not palming it off on his PA, which never would have happened before. You told me that you can only take people as you find them, so that’s what I’m doing. Maybe he’s not such a bad person after all and, well, who hasn’t been guilty of poor choices? I know I have.’
Alice-Miranda chuckled and gave her friend a squeeze. ‘I’m so pleased you’re giving him a second chance. Everyone deserves that.’
The girls reached the middle of Rosebud Lane and were surprised to see Miss Crowley in the garden of the cottage next door to the Parkers. It was a quaint stone house with a red front door in the centre, framed by a triangular porch. Symmetrical double-hung windows sat on either side with two identical ones above. Bookended by chimneys, a pretty Virginia creeper had cast its veil over the left side of the building which had been for sale for a little while now, after old Mr Tucker had moved to an aged-care home in Downsfordvale. Miss Crowley was standing beside a tall man in a navy suit and tie.
‘Hello girls,’ Tabitha said with a smile. ‘Lovely afternoon for a walk.’
‘Are you buying the house?’ Jacinta asked.
‘I just came to have a look,’ Tabitha said, then led them down the drive and out of earshot of the estate agent. ‘Actually, I think I probably will,’ s
he whispered, ‘but I want to see if I can do a deal. I’m sure Mr Coburn up there is counting on me being a silly young woman who doesn’t know how to negotiate, and I’d like to prove him wrong.’
‘Good plan.’ Jacinta nodded. ‘Who doesn’t love a bargain?’
It was right then that Alice-Miranda finally realised exactly who Miss Crowley reminded her of. ‘It’s Jacinta,’ she gasped.
Jacinta looked at her friend. ‘Yes, that’s my name, don’t wear it out.’
‘No, I’ve been thinking ever since Miss Crowley started at school that she reminds me of someone and now I know exactly who it is – it’s you,’ Alice-Miranda explained.
‘Really?’ Tabitha said.
‘Stand next to each other,’ Alice-Miranda instructed.
Mr Coburn walked down the driveway towards the group. ‘Is this your sister, Miss Crowley?’ he asked.
‘See?’ Alice-Miranda said triumphantly. ‘I’m not the only one who thinks there’s a resemblance.’
Jacinta and Tabitha grinned at each other. ‘We’ll have to do some research,’ the woman said. ‘It would be lovely to find a long-lost relative or any relative for that matter.’
Mr Coburn handed the woman his card and promised to call tomorrow to see if she had any more thoughts on the house, then he hopped into his shiny red BMW and drove away.
‘You know, if you buy this house, you’ll be living across the road from my mother,’ Jacinta said. ‘And next door to Myrtle Parker, which is something to consider carefully, although she’s not nearly as bad as she used to be.’
A mop of curly hair popped up over the hedge like a startled meerkat. ‘I heard that, Jacinta Headlington-Bear,’ Myrtle chided.
Jacinta’s eyes widened. ‘Oops,’ she said, giggling behind her hand.
How long Mrs Parker had been listening was anyone’s guess, but Alice-Miranda suspected it was probably from the moment the estate agent’s car had arrived outside the house. ‘Doing a spot of weeding, were you, Mrs Parker?’ the tiny girl asked.
Myrtle drew back her shoulders and brushed a leaf from her hair. ‘Yes, absolutely,’ she said. ‘We have standards to maintain in Rosebud Lane. We’re contenders for best kept street in the village this year.’
‘How delightful,’ Tabitha said, and introduced herself to the woman.
‘Well, I just hope someone buys this place soon and brings it up to scratch.’ Myrtle tsked. ‘It would be a crying shame to have one house letting us down.’
Alice-Miranda smiled to herself. Considering that Mrs Parker’s garden had resembled a weedy jungle up until Ambrosia set to work on it – and Mr Parker diligently maintained it – she could hardly comment on the cottage next door, which, apart from the odd stalk of onion grass, was as neat as a pin and almost as pretty as Wisteria Cottage.
‘We should be letting you go, Miss Crowley,’ Alice-Miranda said. She was eager to find Mr Parker too. As the group was about to part, Neville’s Aston Martin swerved into the road before pulling to a stop in Ambrosia’s driveway.
‘Daddy!’ Jacinta shouted. She raced across the road as her parents hopped out of the car. Much to Neville’s surprise, she launched herself at his middle and gave him a hug.
‘Goodbye, Alice-Miranda. It was lovely to meet you, Mrs Parker. Perhaps I will see you again,’ Tabitha said with a smile. She gave Jacinta a wave and began to walk down the lane towards the main road.
‘Who was that, darling?’ Ambrosia asked, peering across the street.
‘Miss Crowley. She’s the new English teacher at school. Alice-Miranda thinks she and I could be sisters,’ Jacinta said.
‘Crowley,’ Ambrosia repeated. There was something about the name that rang a bell.
Neville forced a grin to his lips. ‘This is a surprise, darling. I thought you had things to do at school.’
‘I did, but Alice-Miranda wanted to visit the Parkers, so I decided to see Mummy and pick up a book I left here,’ the girl said. ‘I’m so thirsty. I hope there’s still some of that date-and-walnut loaf left.’ She ran down the side of the house and around to the kitchen door.
‘Are you coming, Neville?’ Ambrosia detected a hint of disappointment in the man’s face, but it was of no consequence to her. A couple of dinners and a drive in the countryside did not a new man make. There was a long way to go yet before she’d entertain any thoughts of a reconciliation. ‘You’d better get on to that fire twirler you promised Jacinta – you don’t want to disappoint her.’
Alice-Miranda was walking up the Parkers’ driveway when another car pulled up out the front.
‘Stanley Frost, what are you doing here?’ Myrtle called out to her brother-in-law. ‘If you’re expecting a meal, I’m afraid you’re barking up the wrong tree.’
‘Always a pleasure, Myrtle,’ the man called back. He opened the boot and took out a large box. ‘I brought you some photographs for the historical society and some I thought you might like for yourself.’
Alice-Miranda giggled. The man’s timing couldn’t have been better. She had an idea and now she just had to convince Mr Parker and Mr Frost that it was a good one.
Alice-Miranda slid onto the bench beside Millie, eager to tuck into her roast dinner. The usual dining-room chatter was rather muted this evening, replaced by the sound of chinking cutlery instead.
‘Mmm, this smells good,’ Alice-Miranda said as she reached for the salt and pepper shakers in the middle of the table. The potatoes were especially crispy and the meat was cooked to perfection. Only the gravy seemed to have a few extra lumps, so Mrs Jennings was definitely improving. Alice-Miranda glanced over at Millie’s plate that was already half empty.
‘Sorry, I couldn’t wait any longer,’ Millie said with her mouth full. ‘My stomach was grumbling so loudly that Sloane thought there was a thunderstorm coming, but at least I got the rest of my community service out of the way. Honestly, you won’t recognise the stables. Dervla had already made a start on the tack room, and this afternoon we cleaned the place from top to bottom and oiled all the woodwork. It looks like new, though it smells foul.’
‘Well done, Millie,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘Dervla mentioned Miss Reedy had set her a long list of jobs, so she’d have been glad of the help. How are you going with your activities, Caprice?’
‘Fine and dandy,’ the girl replied curtly. ‘I’m almost done.’
But that wasn’t true at all. So far, she’d managed thirty minutes of weeding with Charlie and that was it. With all the extra rehearsal time for the festival, she wasn’t going to waste a minute on pointless chores. Miss Reedy was so busy at the moment Caprice was hoping she’d forget about the whole boorish business altogether.
As meals were finished, the noise levels rose again with girls chatting about their day. There was much excitement about the festival too. Jacinta waxed lyrical about her father, who had sourced a fire twirler and had promised to hire the country’s most renowned balloon artist for her too. ‘Daddy said he’s going to take Mummy and me skiing later in the year,’ Jacinta added giddily. ‘They never used to take me when they were married, but he has it all planned.’
Alice-Miranda beamed at the girl. ‘It sounds like he’s a different person.’
Jacinta nodded, unable to wipe the smile off her face. ‘He really is. I just know it.’ She stabbed a potato with such force that all four girls looked up from their plates. ‘At least that’s one part of my life that’s on the up and up.’
‘Do we have another headline act yet?’ Chessie asked Alice-Miranda. They had to get the publicity materials out tomorrow and Tilde McGilvray was going to start promotions on her show this week too.
The tiny girl waggled her eyebrows. ‘I do.’
Caprice rolled her eyes. ‘Well, who is it?’
‘I can’t say yet,’ Alice-Miranda replied. ‘You’ll have to trust me on this one. How about we put everything we have on the flyer and just add “plus special surprise guests”? People will be intrigued.’
‘Or not,’ Caprice
snarked.
Once everyone had returned to their meals, Millie nudged Alice-Miranda’s leg. ‘So, who is it?’ she whispered.
‘I’ll explain all before bed,’ Alice-Miranda said with a glint in her eye.
Chessie glanced at Sloane from across the table. The girl had been uncharacteristically quiet during dinner. ‘Are you all right?’ she asked.
Sloane shook her head. ‘No, not really. I went for a walk this afternoon to see Mrs Howard because she’s helping me with a sewing project and, when I got to Grimthorpe House, she was having afternoon tea with Mr Trout and Mr Winslade and they were talking about Miss Reedy and it wasn’t very nice,’ the girl explained. ‘They said Miss Reedy had been bossier than ever and had made some very unreasonable demands. Mr Winslade said she’d written him a letter telling him he had to work back every night until seven and keep the library open on weekends too and that there was no room for discussion if he wanted to continue his position as librarian.’ Sloane looked at them helplessly. ‘That doesn’t seem fair at all.’
Alice-Miranda bit her lip. She had a strange feeling there was more to the story than any of them could possibly know.
‘And Mr Trout said that he’d received a letter telling him that, if he continued with his choice of extravagant assembly music, he had better start searching for another job,’ Sloane added. ‘The even weirder thing is that the teachers didn’t seem to care that I was there. Mrs Howard was grumpy with Miss Reedy too. She’d punished two of the youngest girls with hours of extra homework and threatened that, if they complained to their parents, they’d be expelled. Again, there was no discussion to be entered into.’
‘That is bizarre,’ Millie agreed.
‘No, it isn’t,’ Caprice scoffed. ‘Reedy has been pretty cranky lately. Look at what she did to us.’
Alice-Miranda shook her head. ‘I don’t think it’s like her at all. Miss Reedy has been so supportive of the festival and I know she’s had a lot to do, but that sounds very strange. You said that the teachers received their messages in note form?’
Alice-Miranda Keeps the Beat Page 15