‘She’s delusional, Max, don’t listen to her,’ urged Darcy, taking Max’s hand and pulling him towards the door. ‘Come on, let’s go find the Drake.’
‘I saw you with Mae-Ling, Darcy, and it sure didn’t look gay to me.’
Max stopped. ‘Is that true?’
‘No!’ snapped Darcy. ‘Of course it’s not true. I’m telling you, she’s on drugs!’
‘It was serious kissing, Max,’ asserted Lily. ‘I saw them after the Dane’s critique. You know how upset I was, so I ducked into an empty classroom – only it wasn’t empty.’
‘Oh, that,’ said Darcy. He patted Max’s hand reassuringly. ‘We were just rehearsing. Mae-Ling’s playing opposite me in The Tempest.’
There was a pause, before Max said doubtfully, ‘But you’re playing Prospero and she’s playing your daughter, Miranda. She doesn’t need to kiss you for real.’
‘Try telling Mae-Ling that,’ said Darcy with a grimace.
‘Good idea,’ said Lily, challenging him. ‘Let’s go ask Mae-Ling whether it was just a rehearsal.’
To her astonishment, Darcy’s eyes filled with tears. He gulped and, in a voice choked with emotion, said, ‘I’m so sorry, Max. It’s all my fault. If only I hadn’t been sucked in by Ronan Carver I would never have taken cocaine and let Mae-Ling kiss me, but I had no idea I’d be affected like that. It was my first time and it made me feel so weird. I know I shouldn’t have bought the stuff, but I was so stressed about the Dane’s critique and Carver said it would make me super confident and help my performance and . . . and that’s why . . .’
‘You did it,’ finished Max.
A tear rolled down Darcy’s handsome face. He nodded.
‘I totally understand, Darcy,’ said Max. ‘I know how pressure can make you do crazy things and I’m here for you.’
‘Thanks, Max. You’re my –’
‘I thought today was your first time,’ said Lily suddenly.
‘What?’ said Darcy, lifting a tear-stained face from Max’s shoulder.
‘This afternoon you told the Drake that he’d caught you taking cocaine for the first time, but now you’re telling Max that last Friday was your first time. So which is it, Darcy? Or is your sad story just a performance – more lies?’
‘I feel sorry for you, Lily,’ replied Darcy. ‘I really do. You’ve been totally sucked in by Ronan Carver and I get that. I know what Carver’s like – I know how charming and persuasive and seductive he can be.’
‘You don’t know Ronan,’ retorted Lily. ‘You know nothing about him or who he is. You’ve barely spoken two words to him.’
‘I know more than you, Lily,’ said Darcy coolly. ‘I know he’s a member of a biker gang that deals in drugs – I’ll bet you’ve seen his Viper tattoo. I know he was kicked out of his last school for selling cocaine. I know he’s a liar and that his dad’s serving fifteen years in prison for armed robbery. I’d say I know plenty about Ronan Carver.’
‘And who told you all that?’ demanded Lily. ‘Your older brother, Piers? Or your drug-dealing friend down in Shoreditch, or maybe it was Ronan’s tattoo that –’ Lily broke off. It was as if a light had suddenly switched on in her head. ‘Snake!’ she exclaimed. ‘You know Snake!’ She stared at Darcy. ‘That’s how you recognised Ronan’s tattoo. You probably saw it in the shower or the boys’ dorm. You told Snake about it and he told you that if you ever got caught with drugs, you were to blame Ronan because Snake hates Ronan.’
Darcy’s eyes flashed angrily and he took a step towards her, but Lily held her ground. ‘And that’s how Ronan got kicked out of Chancellor, isn’t it? Because Snake was supplying Piers and he told him the same thing he told you, didn’t he? So when Edward was caught doing drugs at school, Piers made sure Ronan got the blame. And now –’
‘Shut up!’ cried Darcy. He threw his arm across Max’s shoulders. ‘Come on, Max, we don’t have to listen to this.’
But Max shrugged off Darcy’s arm and said, ‘Edward? Do you mean Edward Leighton-Banks, Charlotte’s brother?’
‘Yes,’ said Lily, nodding.
‘You think Darcy’s brother sold him cocaine?’
‘Yes. I think Piers met Snake at a nightclub called the Third Dimension and they struck a deal.’
‘Don’t listen to her, Max,’ said Darcy. ‘She’s just trying to shift the blame from her boyfriend and stop us going to the Drake and dropping her in it!’
‘Actually,’ said Max slowly, ‘I think she’s right.’
‘Oh, come on, Max,’ said Darcy. ‘You know I’m on the level. Okay, so, I didn’t tell the Drake the exact truth, but you can’t blame me for that. This is my final year. I got conned into buying a little bit of cocaine, but you wouldn’t want me to be kicked out of the Academy because I made a mistake, would you, Max?’
‘No,’ replied Max. ‘Except that I don’t think it was a mistake. You see, Darcy, I know Edward Leighton-Banks.’
‘Do you?’ said Darcy, frowning.
‘Yeah. We were in rehab together.’
Darcy’s jaw dropped. ‘You – you never told me that.’
‘Lucky for me,’ snapped Max. ‘Otherwise I’d probably be one of your customers by now, wouldn’t I?’ He went and stood beside Lily. ‘You’ve been playing me all along, haven’t you Darcy? And I thought I was a gamesman.’
Darcy stared at them both for a moment and then he laughed. ‘You!’ he snorted. ‘You’re an amateur. I –’
‘Don’t listen to him, Max,’ cut in Lily. ‘Let’s go see the Drake and then find Ronan.’
‘Oh, how sweet,’ cooed Darcy. ‘You think Max is your friend – that he cares about you.’
‘I do care about her,’ retorted Max.
‘So she knows all about your . . . activities, then?’
‘What’s he talking about, Max?’ asked Lily.
‘You think he’s so innocent,’ said Darcy, ‘but it was Max who trashed Gemma’s clothes and took Charlotte’s Vidal jacket – although I confess I’m the one who embellished it with my penknife. Max doesn’t know about that – or about the notes,’ he added, grinning.
‘What notes?’ demanded Max.
‘Nasty anonymous messages stuck to my locker,’ replied Lily, glaring at Darcy.
‘Max was so helpful in telling me all about you,’ said Darcy, ‘and so hurt by your roomies’ unkindness. He seemed to want you all to himself and that suited me perfectly – especially when you were so happy to lend him money.’ Darcy laughed. ‘I figured I’d give you a few troubles to confide in him and bring you two closer together.’ He glanced pityingly at Max. ‘Unfortunately, he wasn’t quite as committed to the idea of keeping you at odds with your roomies as I was – which is why I had to pay out Phoebe for him. Still,’ said Darcy, ‘she turned out to be the easiest one of all after Max told me you wrote with a fountain pen.’
‘Is it true, Max?’ asked Lily, turning to face him.
He nodded dolefully. ‘I’m sorry, Lily. I was a total prat. When Darcy encouraged me to pay out on Gemma and Charlotte I thought it was because he hated how they treated me – that he cared about me.’ He looked at her bleakly. ‘I thought Darcy loved me.’
She smiled faintly. ‘Love can make you do the dumbest things. I know.’
‘I might vomit,’ sneered Darcy.
Lily turned on him. ‘Just the sort of response I’d expect from a lowlife scum like you, Darcy Johnson! You pretend to be Mr Nice Guy, but underneath you’re just a manipulator, which is why you think your little revelation will make me hate Max.’ She smiled. ‘But what you don’t get is that I like Max and I’m glad we’re friends.’
‘Well, that’s lucky,’ said Darcy. ‘’Cause you and your friend are going to be up here for a while!’ And, before they could move, he leapt backwards, pulled the heavy oak door behind him and turned the key in the lock.
‘Hey!’ cried Lily.
‘Darcy! No!’ yelled Max.
They ran forward and pounded on the door.
&n
bsp; ‘Hey! Let us out!’
But there was no answer. They heard the sound of running footsteps and then silence.
‘Quick, give me your phone,’ said Lily.
‘I don’t have it,’ replied Max.
‘You always have your phone!’
Max shook his head. ‘Not when it’s charging. Where’s yours?’
‘In my evening bag, on its way to Grandmama’s reception.’
‘Damn.’
‘What’ll we do?’
‘Make a noise and hope someone hears us.’
They banged and called, but they were too high up and the walls were too thick for anyone to hear.
‘I give up,’ said Max.
‘How long before he comes and lets us out, do you think?’ asked Lily, dropping onto the window seat.
‘Don’t know, but it had better be soon.’
‘What if he leaves us up here?’
Max shook his head. ‘He wouldn’t do that, he’s just buying time or punishing us – or both.’
‘I have to get out of here and find Ronan,’ said Lily.
‘Good luck with that,’ said Max with a snort. ‘Unless you’ve got wings or a parachute, I’d say you’re stuck here until that scum-sucking parasite Darcy lets us out.’
‘I’m not waiting around for him, I have to tell Ronan about Snake,’ said Lily, staring at the window. Only a week ago she’d dropped from the windowsill onto the Pendragon roof . . .
She unlatched the window, and peered out. It seemed a fearsome drop and if she missed, it was an awfully long way to the ground!
‘What are you doing?’ asked Max, joining her on the window seat.
‘Seeing if there’s a way down.’ Lily leaned out further, hoping to find footholds in the stone wall. Her hair fell forward, blocking her view and she pushed it back impatiently.
‘You can’t go out there,’ said Max firmly. ‘It’s way too dangerous.’
‘If I had a rope, you could lower me down to Pendragon’s roof.’
‘What are you talking about?’ demanded Max. ‘You can’t get to Pendragon from here.’
‘I’ve done it before,’ said Lily. ‘Only Ronan was already down there and he caught me.’ She looked at Max. ‘I don’t suppose . . .’
‘No way! Not a chance. I’m scared of heights.’
‘Okay, so just help me get down,’ said Lily. ‘It’s not as far as it looks, I just need something to get me lower.’
‘Like what?’
‘I don’t know. A rope or a sheet or something we could cut into strips, like in the movies.’
‘All I see is old books, a painting, Carver’s easel and this bag,’ said Max, holding it up.
‘What’s in it?’
‘Painting things, mostly, and these.’ Max held up a pair of scissors.
‘If only Ronan had left the cloth over the window,’ sighed Lily, ‘we could have used that. I can’t see anything else to cut.’
‘Only your hair,’ joked Max.
‘Max! You’re a genius!’ cried Lily. ‘We can use my hair as a rope.’
‘I was kidding,’ said Max, staring at her.
‘No, it’s a great idea,’ declared Lily. ‘Ronan said I was like Rapunzel, maybe he was right.’
‘You don’t need to cut off your hair to prove it!’
‘No, but I do need to get us out of here before Darcy can do any more damage,’ argued Lily, quickly braiding her hair. ‘I’d say there was about three feet of usable hair, wouldn’t you?’ She held it out.
‘What if your hair isn’t strong enough to hold you?’ said Max.
‘It will be,’ Lily assured him. ‘Trust me, Max. It’ll be fine.’
‘I trust you, Lily – I’m just not sure I trust your hair.’
‘I think human hair’s really strong.’
‘You think?’
She ignored him, finished braiding her hair, and held out her hand. ‘Okay, I’m ready. Let’s have those scissors.’
Max hesitated. ‘You’re sure about this?’
‘Positive.’
‘Okay, then the least I can do is to cut your hair for you. You are wearing an evening dress, after all.’
Lily looked down ruefully at her Vidal gown. ‘If Grandmama knew what I was about to do, she’d kill me.’
‘Better your grandmother than a five-storey fall,’ said Max, holding up the scissors. ‘Ready?’
‘Ready.’
‘Okay, here goes.’
Max began cutting and a minute later Lily’s long, golden braid lay in his hand.
‘Phew,’ breathed Lily, running her hand through her shorn locks. ‘I’ve been meaning to do that for ages.’
She hitched up her silken skirts and climbed onto the windowsill. She sat there for a moment trying not to look down. ‘Okay, Max, I’m going to roll over onto my stomach, you’ll give me one end of the braid, lower me down as far as you can, and I’ll drop onto Pendragon’s roof.’
‘Damn Darcy,’ said Max between gritted teeth as he took his end and handed Lily the other. ‘I’m so going to kick him for locking us in here.’ He sat on the window seat, pulled his knees up and planted his feet firmly against the wall. ‘Okay, go,’ he said.
Forcing herself to look only at the Pendragon roof, Lily held tight to the braid, prayed that her hair would hold her, and pushed off.
For one horrible moment she thought she was falling and then the braid tightened and she heard Max call out, ‘Hold tight, I’ve got you.’ She felt herself drop a little lower as Max let the rope of hair slide over the windowsill.
‘That’s it, Lily. That’s as far as it goes,’ shouted Max after a moment.
‘Okay,’ she called back. She forced herself to look down at the slate roof below her and saw the Pendragon roof slightly to her left. Her heart pounded and she was horribly aware that this time there was no Ronan to catch her legs or guide her feet. Even with her braid to help her, it still looked a long way down.
But she couldn’t hold on forever.
Lily took a deep breath and let go.
CHAPTER 40
The roof was closer than she’d thought. Lily threw herself left, landed on her side, and lay there for a moment trying to breathe. Then she heard Max’s voice, strained and anxious. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Fine,’ called Lily. ‘I’m going for help.’
It wasn’t easy crossing the rooftops in an evening dress and it was hard not to collect the dirt as she moved. When she finally reached the ground, Lily’s gold silk gown did not shimmer quite so much.
She brushed the worst of the dirt off her skirt and headed for the bus stop. She was trying to remember the number of the bus she and Ronan had taken to Shoreditch when a voice said, ‘Lily?’
She spun round. ‘Rachel! What are you doing here?’
‘Waiting for a bus.’ Rachel stared at her dress. ‘What are you –’
‘Never mind me,’ interrupted Lily. ‘You’re friends with Max – you can let him out.’
‘Let him out of where?’ asked Rachel in surprise.
‘If I tell you, you can’t tell anyone,’ insisted Lily. ‘Promise?’
‘I guess . . .’
‘Darcy locked Max in the South Tower and –’
‘What?’ squeaked Rachel. ‘But it’s out of bounds.’
‘I know, but I need you to go up there right away and unlock the door.’
‘I’ll get into trouble. Why can’t you –’
‘No one will see you. There’s no time to explain,’ said Lily, anxiously scanning the street for the bus. ‘Just go to the top of the tower and let Max out. I promise he’ll be your friend forever if you do.’ A black London cab trundled into view and Lily desperately flagged it down. ‘Please, Rachel, I have to go.’
‘Okay,’ said Rachel, ‘but you owe me big time.’
‘I do,’ agreed Lily, ‘and I’ll owe you even more if you get Max to ring Charlotte and tell her I’m okay. You have her number, right?’
‘Yeah,�
�� said Rachel.
‘Okay,’ said Lily as the cab drew up. She gathered her skirts and climbed inside.
‘Where to, luv?’ asked the driver.
‘The Axis Gallery in Shoreditch High Street.’
Fifteen minutes later they pulled up outside the gallery. ‘If you wait a minute, I’ll go in and get you some money,’ said Lily.
‘Trying to do a runner on me, are you?’ growled the cabbie. ‘I don’t think so.’ And to Lily’s dismay he locked the doors.
‘I’m not trying to do a runner, I promise,’ she replied. ‘I forgot my evening bag, and I –’ She suddenly banged on the taxi window and cried, ‘Credo! Bolt! Help, please.’
‘Hang on, luv,’ said the taxi driver, as he saw the two men, one huge and muscular, the other tall and cadaverous, turn towards the cab.
‘They’ll pay you, I’m sure they will. Only, please let me out!’ begged Lily.
She saw the cabbie’s eyes widen as Credo and Bolt reached for the door; he instantly popped the lock and the door swung open.
‘You okay?’ asked Credo, staring suspiciously at the cab driver.
‘Yes, but I came without my purse.’ Lily gazed anxiously at Bolt. ‘Is Ronan here? I have to see him, the police may be here any second.’
Bolt’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he gave no sign of alarm. ‘How much?’ he asked the cabbie.
‘Ten quid.’
Bolt handed over a note and slammed the door.
‘Where’s Ronan?’ asked Lily again.
‘Inside,’ said Credo. ‘What’s that about the police?’
‘They think Ronan’s been selling drugs – cocaine – at the Academy,’ said Lily urgently. ‘One of the students got caught this afternoon. He – he accused Ronan of being a dealer.’
Credo and Bolt looked at each other.
‘Follow me,’ said Bolt.
He led Lily into the gallery. Inside it was all white space and white walls with a polished cement floor and clusters of brightly coloured ultra-modern chairs in the corners. A dozen of Ronan’s paintings had already been hung and the rest were stacked against the wall. In the centre of the gallery a short man in a striped green blazer and bright purple pants was talking to a petite woman with long dark hair in a crimson dress.
The Rapunzel Dilemma Page 28