‘Thanks, Titus. Can everyone take a set of these photocopies?’ Holly stood up and handed the copies around. ‘If you’ll look at these sheets, you’ll see I’ve compiled the reports from the police, the Minivers Crisis Line, and Ron’s security team. The pink page lists what we believe to be genuine Minivers sightings. It’s pretty hard to mistake a Miniver for an ordinary person, so most of them should be reliable. The yellow sheets are lists of possible places the Minivers have been.
‘Now, you’ll see on the pink page that there have been no definite sightings of Rosamund since she escaped at the beginning of the week. That makes it very likely that she is being helped by someone –’
‘I have some information on that,’ volunteered Ron. Everybody looked at him expectantly. Emily felt suddenly faint. ‘As a matter of fact, we’ve tracked Rosamund down to the City Archives. One of the porters seems to have been hiding her in a storeroom. By the time my people got there, they’d both disappeared, but we’re on the porter’s trail. His name is –’
‘Gibraltar,’ said Titus.
‘That’s right.’ Ron stared at him in surprise. ‘That’s his nickname. His real name is Peter Barnabas. They tell me he writes books.’
‘I don’t think too many people read them,’ said Titus dryly. ‘Tell me, what are you doing to find him?’
‘I’ve put a team onto it, of course,’ said Ron. ‘But I have to tell you again, Titus, this can’t go on indefinitely. I’ve had the entire security force working around the clock. Every friend, every fan who might help the Minivers has been chased up; we’ve done face-to-face interrogations of over two hundred people. We’ve searched every possible hiding place you suggested, right down to their favourite dressmaker. It can’t continue at this pace. We simply don’t have the resources.’
‘It won’t be for very much longer,’ said Titus. ‘Rosamund’s whereabouts have always been the biggest mystery, and we’re on her trail now. As for Emily, she was picked up last night on a security camera at Eastman’s store in George Street. It’s fairly obvious she’s been hiding there during the day and only moving around after dark.’
‘What if Emily gets help, like Rosamund?’ asked the second woman fearfully. ‘The fan club has twenty-five thousand members. You never know who could be helping her.’
‘I’m aware this is a problem, Brenda,’ said Titus. ‘As a matter of fact, Phase Two of our operation will be dealing with this issue directly; it should be launched very soon. If it’s as successful as I hope, then we can expect support for the Miniver sisters to pretty nearly disappear. Meanwhile, Emily’s very young, and she’s not used to being on her own. I admit, she’s been more resourceful than we expected. But she’s obviously still in the city, and she has no way of leaving it. She can’t take buses or trains, and she’s lost her car. She needs food, clothes and shelter. But I think we’re all forgetting the most important thing of all. The Minivers need each other.’
From her hiding place, Emily saw Fiona’s shoulders stiffen. She did not say anything, or even look at Emily directly, but Emily realised without doubt Fiona had seen her. Emily’s muscles tensed. She waited to be seized and hauled into the open. But nothing happened. Meanwhile, Titus continued talking, his face intense with concentration.
‘The Minivers love each other more than anybody else in the world. From the moment of Emily’s arrival, they have never been apart. But there is another bond that makes their love for each other go even deeper. Without her sister, each Miniver is unique. Separated, she is also totally and terribly alone. By now, I think Rosamund and Emily will be starting to understand this. For this reason, the one thing they will both be doing now is trying to find each other.
‘And that, my friends, is how we are going to find them. Tomorrow, there will be an advertisement in the newspaper. Not a big one, but big enough to be noticed. It will tell Rosamund Miniver that if she wants to be reunited with her sister, she will come to a rendezvous at a place I have specified. If she doesn’t, she will never see Emily again.’
‘What if Rosamund doesn’t see the advertisement?’ asked Ron. ‘She might not come. And what if Gibraltar comes with her?’
‘If Gibraltar is with her, she will certainly see the ad. As for the other possibility, I’m sure you’ll be able to plan for that.’
‘No,’ said Ron. ‘I’m afraid I won’t. Before we go any further, Titus, let’s get this straight. I’m not doing this for love, or because I’m too stupid to understand what’s really happening.’ He looked contemptuously at Holly and Brenda. ‘I’m doing this for money. One hundred thousand Artemisian dollars. That’s what I was promised, and so far I haven’t seen a cent of it.’
‘You’ll be paid,’ said Titus. ‘As soon as we have the Minivers.’
‘I’ll be paid now,’ said Ron. ‘You need me, Titus. Without me, you would never have been able to kidnap Rosamund. Without me, the whole thing finishes here. My son, Alex, needs an operation so that he can walk. There’s no other way for his mother and me to find the money. I don’t like what I’m doing, but if handing over two spoiled brats who never lifted a hand to help me will give my boy a chance, then I have to take it. But I’m not like you. I know the difference between right and wrong, and if I don’t get what I want from you, I’m out.’
‘If that’s what you really think of me,’ said Titus softly, ‘you should be a very worried man.’ There was an unpleasant pause, in which nobody said anything. At last Titus turned to the man in the suit, who so far, had not spoken. ‘Len. Do you have any money in that briefcase?’
Len nodded. ‘I have ten thousand dollars.’
‘Then give it to him,’ said Titus, ‘and all of you, come with me down to the main office. I want to show you the first things we’ve printed for Phase Two.’
The moment the adults left the room, Fiona put down her book and got off the sofa.
‘You’d better come out,’ she said. ‘I know you’re in there.’
Emily hesitated, then climbed out of the pile of dolls. Fiona was standing with her hands on her hips, dressed in shorts and a faded blue T-shirt from which Emily’s own face stared out. The girl still looked oddly familiar, thought Emily, though she could not work out why. Meanwhile, Fiona regarded her with interest and, Emily realised to her surprise, some satisfaction.
‘I always knew you were the clever one,’ Fiona said. ‘How ever did you get here?’
‘I had myself delivered,’ said Emily. ‘In a box.’ As she said this, her words sounded unexpectedly funny. Her mouth twitched, she started to laugh, and then Fiona started giggling too and neither of them was able to stop.
‘Oh, goodness,’ said Emily, clapping a hand over her mouth. ‘They’ll hear!’
‘Wait here,’ said Fiona, and went out of the room. Emily heard her sneakered feet running down the stairs. A minute went by before she heard them running back again. By this time, Emily had managed to stop herself laughing. Fiona came into the room and locked the door behind her.
‘It’s all right,’ she said. ‘They’re in the main office, looking at some posters and talking about Phase Two, whatever that is. It should be a while before they finish. What are you doing here, anyway?’
‘I’m looking for information,’ said Emily. ‘I didn’t realise anybody else would be in the building. What about you?’
Fiona’s face fell. ‘I’m here with my mum,’ she said. ‘She’s on the committee, but I don’t think she really understands what she’s got herself into. Brenda. She’s the one who looks like a sheep.’
‘Oh.’
‘A nice sheep,’ said Fiona defensively. ‘She’s very kind, really. Only I’m afraid, she’s not very bright, and Titus can make her do whatever he wants. He even persuaded her to help kidnap your sister. He told her how much she would enjoy having Rosamund in her house, and she believed him.’
Emily blinked. ‘Rosamund was in your house?’
Fiona nodded. ‘She was there after the kidnapping. Holly and Ron were the ones wh
o did that; my mum just drove the van. Rosamund stayed with us for a little while and then she escaped. I helped her. Are you all right?’ she asked, as Emily turned white and sat down suddenly. ‘You look like you’re going to faint.’
‘Sorry,’ said Emily in a wobbly voice. ‘It’s just this is all such a shock, and right now I’m so terribly hungry I can’t even think straight. I’ve eaten nothing but nuts and biscuits for three days.’
‘You poor thing!’ Fiona was appalled. ‘Look, here’s some leftover pizza. I don’t think it’s gone cold yet. I’ll get you a soft drink, too.’ She shoved a slice of ham and cheese pizza into Emily’s hands and started rattling through the drinks tins to find a full one. Emily bit ravenously into the pizza. After a diet of sugared almonds and shortbread biscuits, it was indescribably delicious.
There was a soft pop as Fiona opened a tin of lemonade. ‘Goodness!’ she said, as she turned around. ‘You are hungry!’
Emily popped the last bit of pizza into her mouth and reached for the lemonade. ‘Never mind about me. Tell me about Rosamund. You said you helped her. How?’
‘Well, Mum left us together, and Rosamund asked me to leave her alone for a moment,’ Fiona explained. ‘I knew she’d escape. There was a big hole in the flyscreen. She climbed out while I was in the kitchen.’
Emily sighed. ‘Thank you so much,’ she said. ‘You can’t know what it means to me to know she’s safe. You see Rosamund – she’s not very brave. And she gets worked up so easily and does silly things. The night it happened, she was already very upset.’
‘I know.’ Fiona’s face went pink. ‘I was there, at the party, when it happened. I was the one who upset her.’
Emily put down her drink. The birthday party at the Artemisia Hotel now seemed so long ago that for several moments she found it impossible to remember any details. Then a half-remembered impression swam into focus: a girl with an autograph book, excitedly shaking Rosamund’s hand. ‘So that’s where I recognise you from!’ Emily exclaimed. ‘Of course! Titus said your mother was on the MFC committee. No wonder you looked familiar.’
‘I didn’t mean to hurt Rosamund’s feelings,’ said Fiona, in a voice of great distress. ‘I wasn’t even thinking what I was saying. It was awful. When she burst into tears, it was like I’d stuck a knife into one of the people I love best in the world. And then my mother helped kidnap her, and everything was worse than ever. I felt I owed it to her to help her. And I’ll help you, too, if you’ll let me.’
‘You don’t have to help me,’ said Emily. ‘Just don’t give me away. If I can get out of here, I’ll manage the rest somehow. If I can find Rosamund before she gets to the rendezvous, I can warn her –’
‘You’ll never do it,’ said Fiona. ‘Not on your own. Look, it’s Friday now and the fan club is closed for the weekend. You can hide here overnight. I’ll come back tomorrow with the ad and we can work out what to do.’ She stopped. ‘What’s the matter? Don’t you trust me?’
‘It’s not that,’ said Emily, and she burst into tears. All her life, she had believed that Minivers were for people to love. Papa King had always said so and Emily had taken him at his word. But for the first time, Emily was beginning to realise it was not that simple. All week, the love she had taken for granted had been slipping away to the point where she was beginning to doubt it was hers at all. When Ron had mentioned his son Alex, Emily had wanted to curl up and die of shame. Three years ago, Alex had been hit by a car and left in a wheelchair. Emily knew she and Rosamund could have paid for any number of operations for Alex, yet it had never once crossed their minds to do so. How many other people had she treated like this, and still expected them to love her? Emily did not know, but in her heart she was honest enough to recognise that she had failed at what she most believed in. She had let down, not just her fans, but herself.
‘Why are you crying?’ asked Fiona anxiously. ‘Was it something I said?’
‘No,’ said Emily. ‘I just don’t understand why you want to help me when I don’t deserve it.’
‘Deserve it?’ said Fiona. ‘What’s that got to do with it? Wanting to help doesn’t come out of people’s heads. It comes out of their hearts, because they love you.’
Emily shook her head. ‘I used to think that. I don’t know any more if it’s true.’
‘It is true,’ said Fiona. ‘Don’t you understand? All my life, for as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be like you. I know I’m not pretty, or clever, or talented. My dad ran off before I was born, and Mum’s never had a proper job or any money. But when things were bad you were there, showing me it could get better. When they found you in the basket, you were small and unimportant and had nothing. But you proved that someone like that could become important. That the smallest girl, whom nobody wanted, could do amazing things. That’s why your true fans love you, Emily. We love you, not for what you do, but for who you are. We love you because deep down, in our hearts, you give us hope.’
Emily looked up at her. Despite her shabby appearance, there was something solid and trustworthy in Fiona’s face that reminded her of Millamant. It was like a light glowing deep within her. At the sight of it, the fear that had been growing in Emily’s heart, and that had almost beaten her, suddenly shrivelled and died.
‘Thank you,’ she said simply. ‘Thank you.’ And she reached up and took Fiona’s hand.
13
The Key
Rosamund sat on the sofa, dressed in one of Livia’s T-shirts, drinking a cup of milk. It was raining heavily, the sort of drenching storm that usually heralded the start of summer in Artemisia. Rosamund felt very thankful to be inside. There was something homely and comforting about Livia’s house, and she had slept last night in Livia’s grandparents’ big old bed, feeling safer than she had since her kidnapping.
But feeling safe was not the same as feeling peaceful. All week, Rosamund had been living on her nerves, and she knew her problems were not over. At first, she had hoped that someone would stop what was happening, and that she would be able to go home and resume her normal life. Rosamund was now starting to understand that this was unlikely to happen. The old days at Miniver House were gone, possibly for good, and what lay ahead was difficult, unpredictable and dangerous. At best, it was a life full of all sorts of inconvenience. Rosamund was starting to discover how unpleasant it was to have to stretch to open doors, to have to climb onto chairs to get things off tables, to have to fetch heavy and bulky items for herself. But the worst thing of all was the prospect of being alone, with no Emily to share her troubles. Rosamund missed Emily desperately. She had shed many frightened tears on her behalf and, in her worst moments, was convinced she would never see her or Millamant again.
The front gate creaked open, and a car rattled down the driveway and parked. Rosamund heard its door slam and the sound of footsteps running up the steps onto the verandah. Gibraltar came out of the kitchen and opened the front door for Livia. She shook out her umbrella and came into the house, carrying several shopping bags and a basket, from which protruded a slightly damp newspaper and a loaf of bread.
‘Nice weather for ducks,’ she said, putting down her shopping. ‘I’ve got the bread and some fresh fruit, so we can have lunch shortly. And I’ve bought you some clothes, too,’ she added, handing Rosamund one of the bags. ‘They’re probably not what you want, but they’re the best I could do.’
‘Thanks,’ said Rosamund. ‘It will be nice to have something that fits.’ She took the bag into the bedroom and shut the door. Meanwhile, Gibraltar picked the paper out of Livia’s basket and sat down on the sofa.
‘Hmm,’ he said. ‘I see our small friend’s disappearance is finally off the front page. I wonder if they’re running out of things to say?’ He folded his feet up under him and began reading an article. Livia kicked off her wet shoes and sat in an armchair. She was feeling very down, and though she tried to tell herself it was the weather, she knew in her heart it was not.
‘Oh, no!’ wailed a voice
from the bedroom. ‘This is so embarrassing.’
The bedroom door opened and Rosamund emerged. She was wearing a short yellow dress with roses embroidered around the hem. In her hand was a pair of pink and white check shorts, and a white T-shirt with a flower on it.
‘Look at me!’ said Rosamund tragically. ‘I look awful. And these pink shorts are even worse.’
‘It’s not that bad,’ said Gibraltar. ‘I think you look rather cute.’
‘Yes – if I was two years old.’ Rosamund looked at her feet, which were encased in a pair of white sandals, and shuddered. The sandals had been made for a baby’s fat little feet. Even with the lacy-topped socks which Livia had thought to buy with them, they were far too broad.
‘They don’t even fit properly!’
‘Well, I think you’re very ungrateful,’ said Livia crossly. ‘I did the best I could. Everything for very little girls is like this. You’re lucky I didn’t buy you ducks and bunny rabbits.’ Her eyes welled up, and she angrily dashed away a tear. Gibraltar shot Rosamund a stern look.
‘I’m sorry, Livia,’ said Rosamund. ‘I didn’t mean it to sound that way. But you have to understand, I’m not used to this. Normally, my clothes are designed especially for me. Having to wear things like this is … a bit of a come down.’
‘I’m afraid you’ll have to get used to it,’ said Livia. ‘Oh, dear. What are we going to do with you? The longer you stay here, the more dangerous it gets. Gibraltar, do you think we could possibly smuggle Rosamund out of Artemisia altogether?’
‘Smuggle me out of Artemisia?’ Rosamund was horrified. ‘You can’t do that. Emmie and Millamant are still here. I can’t possibly leave without them.’ She turned to Gibraltar. ‘You won’t make me leave, will you? Millamant is a prisoner, and we don’t know even know where Emily is. I’m not leaving Artemisia without her, I’m not.’
‘Calm down,’ said Gibraltar. ‘Nobody’s going to make you leave Artemisia. Speaking of Emily, though, can you shed any light on this for me?’ He folded the paper in half twice, and held it out.
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