“Sorry. I—I’ve just had a visitor.” She smiled tensely at the children. “Yes, yes. Granny’s getting stronger every day. She had pneumonia but she’s well on the mend. Plenty of fluids and rest—Dr. Marsh has looked in most days. I think she’ll be back on her feet again come the end of the week.”
Alice-Miranda introduced Jacinta, who promptly set the basket on the table. “I’m afraid there’s only one pear—we had a visitor too,” Jacinta said, her eyebrows knitting together.
“A visitor?” Daisy looked perplexed.
Alice-Miranda shook her head at Jacinta. She thought Daisy looked as though she had her own worries, and there was nothing that could be done about Lucas now anyway.
She changed the subject. “Nothing to fuss about. I can tell you this cake looks rather good. It’s lemon with passion-fruit icing.”
“Please thank Lily for me.” Daisy set the contents of the basket out on the table. “Would you like some? I’m about to put the pot on,” she asked.
“No thanks. We’ve just had lemonade, and next we’re off to see Mrs. Greening for afternoon tea. I thought we would pop in and see you and Granny, and then we’d be off—but I promise we’ll be back again soon,” Alice-Miranda said.
Daisy nodded, still looking distracted. “Oh, okay. Run up and see her, then. She should be awake. Tell her I’ll bring some tea shortly.”
The children bounded upstairs. If Granny Bert wasn’t awake beforehand she certainly would be now.
A little while later, the two girls said goodbye to Poppy and Jasper outside Rose Cottage. “You’d better get home,” Alice-Miranda reminded the reluctant pair.
“I’d much rather come with you,” Jasper sighed, before heading off with his little sister in tow.
Granny Bert was certainly on the mend. Propped up on a mountain of pillows, she had spent the whole time huffing and grumbling that her tea was late. Alice-Miranda laughed and said that she couldn’t understand what everyone had been so worried about. Clearly Granny Bert was almost as good as new.
She made them promise to come back again tomorrow and take her for a walk around the garden. If she had to have a wheelchair, she said, it might as well be put to good use. Before they left she demanded that Alice-Miranda find her some lipstick. “I feel naked without my face on,” she had said, flinching at her reflection in the hand mirror she picked up from the cluttered bedside table.
“Goodness, Granny Bert has a lot to say,” Jacinta commented as they headed down the laneway. “Is she always like that?”
“Oh yes—and usually much worse,” Alice-Miranda laughed. “But she doesn’t often get muddled up with names. I can’t imagine why she insisted on calling you Annabelle the whole time.”
“Yes, I mean, I could understand if she thought my name was Jasmine, perhaps, or even Jessica, but Annabelle was a bit far off the mark,” Jacinta commented. “Is she really your granny?”
“Oh no, not at all. She’s Daisy’s granny. But we’ve always called her Granny Bert—her real name is Albertine. She used to work in the house a long time ago—before Shilly. She ran the whole place when there were loads more staff and house parties every other weekend. Mummy says that she was incredible and everyone loved her.”
“I can’t imagine,” Jacinta scoffed.
“She’s quite good fun, really. Just you wait and see. I can guarantee that once she’s completely well, she’ll be up to her old tricks again,” Alice-Miranda countered.
The girls skipped on along the laneway toward the gatehouse and Mrs. Greening’s much anticipated cake. A grand avenue of oaks lined the path, and the afternoon sun played tricks with dapples and shadows through the canopy.
They heard in the distance the whine of a powerful engine.
“I wonder who that is.” Alice-Miranda turned and caught sight of a large black sedan speeding away from the back of Rose Cottage. It was creating rather a lot of dust as it accelerated toward them. “I didn’t notice a car when we were at Daisy and Granny’s. Did you?” she asked Jacinta.
“No, but Daisy did say something about a visitor, didn’t she?” Jacinta replied.
“They must have gone out the back door through the utility room before we arrived,” Alice-Miranda decided.
“Well, whoever it is seems to be in rather a hurry now.” Jacinta grabbed Alice-Miranda’s hand and they jumped back from the road just as the car roared past.
It had dark tinted windows and was traveling at such speed it was impossible to see who was inside.
“Maniac!” Jacinta called after them. “You’ll kill someone!”
Alice-Miranda watched as the vehicle turned left and headed for the main road. She wasn’t used to seeing strange cars on the estate—especially not ones being driven at such pace. She felt a twinge in her tummy and a strange feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
The girls walked back onto the road. “Oh, I see where we are,” Jacinta said as she caught sight of Highton Hall in the distance. “We’ve come around in a big loop.”
Her words interrupted Alice-Miranda’s thoughts. “Come on,” Alice-Miranda said, dismissing the strange feelings from her mind. She grabbed Jacinta’s hand and started running toward the gatehouse. “I’m starving.”
Jacinta followed closely behind as Alice-Miranda unlatched the garden gate and bounced down a pathway bordered by delphiniums, hollyhocks and hydrangeas. The warm afternoon air exhaled the most delicious scent. Alice-Miranda ducked through an archway to the side of the path and raced across the velvet lawn toward the back of the house. “Betsy,” she called. “Betsy, where are you?”
A gruff bark echoed in reply before Betsy whizzed around the corner to greet the girls.
“Hello, you!” Alice-Miranda threw her arms around the Labrador’s neck.
Mr. Greening appeared. “Hello there. You’d better come inside. Mrs. Greening has just taken something out of the oven.” He winked at Jacinta.
“Ah, heaven,” Alice-Miranda sighed.
Mrs. Greening bustled around the kitchen pouring cups of sugary white tea, which she set down gently in front of the girls. A huge cake with lemon-tinted frosting adorned the center of the table.
“You can do the honors, dear.” She motioned at the knife in front of Mr. Greening. He promptly set about slicing two large wedges of cake, one each for Jacinta and Alice-Miranda. “Half that size for me, please,” Mrs. Greening requested, placing a milky cup of tea in front of her husband.
“And twice that size for me, eh?” He winked at Alice-Miranda and Jacinta.
“Goodness, that stomach of yours will never be flat again,” Mrs. Greening tutted.
Jacinta finished her first mouthful. “Alice-Miranda was certainly telling the truth about your cake. It is heaven. I wish someone in my family could cook cakes as good as this.”
Mrs. Greening blushed. “That young lady has always been one to write people up. Ever since she was the tiniest wee thing.”
“No I don’t,” Alice-Miranda protested. “I just tell the truth, that’s all. And the truth is that you make possibly the best cake in the entire world. Although you’d better not tell Mrs. Oliver, or Mrs. Smith when she comes next week, because they’re both pretty excellent cooks too.”
Mr. and Mrs. Greening exchanged knowing looks and couldn’t help but smile.
“So what have you been doing this afternoon?” asked Mrs. Greening.
“We saw Granny Bert on the way over,” Alice-Miranda stated. “I think she must be quite well again.”
“Was she complaining?” Mr. Greening smiled.
“She sure was.” Jacinta rolled her eyes. “And she kept calling me Annabelle.”
“You know, if they had whining as an Olympic sport that woman would win the gold medal every time,” Mr. Greening laughed.
“Harold Greening, you behave yourself,” Mrs. Greening scolded. “Granny’s just getting old. I think she’s starting to forget things, that’s all.”
“And we saw Poppy and Jasper and we met a boy ca
lled Lucas,” said Alice-Miranda.
“He stole a pear and he threw stones at us in the field and pushed Alice-Miranda over. He’s mean,” Jacinta declared.
Mrs. Greening bit her lip and frowned.
“Yes, I think Lily’s got her hands full at the moment. I’ve had a couple of run-ins with the lad myself,” Mr. Greening added.
“Who is he?” Alice-Miranda asked.
Mrs. Greening gave her husband a meaningful look and shook her head.
“Well, you girls had better be off home, then,” said Mr. Greening. He folded his napkin and placed it on the table.
“Do you know anything about him?” Alice-Miranda tried again.
“He’s none of your concern, young lady.”
“But, I’d really like to be his friend,” Alice-Miranda tried yet again.
“No buts, Alice-Miranda. You can’t fix everything. Sometimes things just have to work themselves out. Now off you go, and don’t blame me if you can’t eat all your dinner.” Mrs. Greening busied herself clearing the teacups and plates into a stack on the sink.
“We won’t,” said Alice-Miranda, folding her napkin too.
“Thank you for tea, Mrs. Greening.” Jacinta pushed her chair out and carried the cake tray to the sideboard, where she placed it down carefully.
“It was my pleasure, dear,” Mrs. Greening replied. “Now you’d better get a move on or the phone will start ringing any moment.”
After much tickling of ankles in the garden (to Jacinta’s disgust), the girls finally tore themselves away from Betsy. They headed back toward the Hall with the sun low in the sky and casting shadows over the driveway.
“I can hear Birdy!” Alice-Miranda stopped to listen.
“Do you mean your helicopter? You must have bionic hearing, because I can’t hear a thing—except that cow over there,” Jacinta replied.
Alice-Miranda surveyed the skies around them. “There he is.” She pointed toward a very small dot a very long way off.
“Come on, let’s go and see Daddy.” Alice-Miranda set off at a gallop.
By the time the girls reached the paddock directly in front of the house, Cyril was maneuvering Birdy in to land. Alice-Miranda and Jacinta waved furiously as they waited for the rotors to shut off. Chocolate curls flying, Alice-Miranda ran to greet her father, who was out of the chopper and charging toward her. Hugh Kennington-Jones scooped his little daughter into his arms and gave her a smacking great kiss. The high-pitched whine of the rotors suddenly gave way to silence as Birdy shuddered to a halt.
“Hello, Jacinta, it’s lovely to see you again.” Hugh put Alice-Miranda down and gave Jacinta an affectionate hug. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here this morning, girls, I had some urgent business in town. But now that’s all done and I’ve brought someone home with me I’d like you to meet.”
“Who is it, Daddy?” Alice-Miranda peered back toward Birdy.
A tall man emerged from the helicopter. His tousled black hair matched his piercing dark eyes. He wore an emerald-colored jacket, well-fitting jeans and an extraordinary ruffled shirt that made him look a little like a pirate—albeit a very stylish one.
“Goodness.” Jacinta stared. “Who’s that?” she whispered behind her hand to Alice-Miranda.
The man strode toward them, a chocolate leather overnight bag slung casually across his left shoulder. He placed it on the ground when he reached the group.
“Lawrence Ridley, this is my daughter, Alice-Miranda, and her friend Jacinta Headlington-Bear,” said Hugh.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ridley.” Alice-Miranda offered him her tiny hand.
“And you too.” He nodded.
He offered his hand to Jacinta as well, and she shook it vigorously.
“Your father has told me quite a lot about you, Alice-Miranda. It seems you are something of a matchmaker.” Mr. Ridley smiled, revealing a picket-fence row of dazzling white teeth.
“Daddy does go on,” Alice-Miranda replied. “I just helped Mr. Grump find his true love again. He was lost in the mountains—well, not really lost, but he was lost because he didn’t know what he wanted to do anymore and then he told me all about his wife and how she was killed so tragically and then his daughter, Amelia, went to my school and he met Miss Grimm, my headmistress, and they fell in love but then Amelia got sick and it was all so sad—”
“Goodness, darling, you can take a breath,” her father interrupted.
“It’s all right, Alice-Miranda—your father did mention something about you being quite the world champion talker too,” Lawrence joked.
Alice-Miranda rolled her eyes and grinned.
“Anyway, apparently I look just like Amelia and that was part of the reason Miss Grimm was so cross with me all the time but then Daddy sent Birdy to get Mr. Grump and he and Mummy helped him get all cleaned up and then he came back to school and it was so romantic. They got married last month and Miss Grimm hasn’t stopped smiling—”
“Are you famous?” Jacinta interrupted.
“Jacinta!” Alice-Miranda frowned at her friend.
“Well, are you?” She wasn’t about to give up. “You look like someone. Someone I’ve seen in one of Mummy’s magazines. Perhaps I’ve seen you at one of Mummy’s parties—not that I get to go to them very often.”
“Well spotted, Jacinta,” said Hugh. He scooped Alice-Miranda onto his broad shoulders. “Mr. Ridley is an actor and a good friend of Aunt Charlotte’s.”
“I knew I’d seen you somewhere before.” Jacinta grinned to herself, like a cat with a bowl of cream.
“Are you in films, Mr. Ridley?” Alice-Miranda asked.
“I’ve done a few—romantic comedy, that sort of thing,” he replied.
“Oh.” Jacinta sounded like she was about to faint. “Oh, oh, oh … you’re … you’re … Harry Winton! Well, not really Harry Winton because you’re Lawrence Ridley but you were Harry Winton in London Calling. I love that movie, love, love, love it,” Jacinta gushed. “It’s my favorite ever!”
Lawrence’s tanned face reddened. “That’s very kind of you, Jacinta.” He picked up his bag and the group began walking toward the house.
Hugh Kennington-Jones called back to the pilot. “You can put Birdy away, Cyril, we won’t need her again tonight. Thanks for today.”
“Very good, sir,” Cyril replied as he hopped back into the chopper.
“Are you staying with us then, Mr. Ridley?” Alice-Miranda asked.
“Yes,” her father answered. “Mr. Ridley will be our guest until the weekend.”
“Then you must tell us all about being a famous movie star.” Alice-Miranda held tight to her father’s head. “Is it terribly exciting?”
“Not as much as you’d think,” Lawrence replied.
“Well, I’m sure that we would love to hear about it just the same, wouldn’t we, Jacinta?” Alice-Miranda glanced down at her friend, who had become rather quiet all of a sudden. “Jacinta?” she called again.
Jacinta was gazing at Mr. Ridley with a dreamy look on her face.
“Jacinta!” Alice-Miranda shouted.
“Yes, what? What did you say?” stammered Jacinta, blushing.
“I said that we’d love to know about Mr. Ridley’s acting, wouldn’t we?” Alice-Miranda repeated.
“Yes, of course … love to.” Jacinta’s already pink cheeks turned a deep scarlet.
Alice-Miranda leaned down and whispered into her father’s ear, “Daddy, do you think Jacinta has a crush?”
He glanced up at his daughter perched around his neck.
“Yes,” he whispered. “I think you could be right.”
The group strode toward the house in the fading afternoon light. The sky was a palette of blue, highlighted with purples and pinks.
“What a glorious sunset.” Lawrence stopped to take in the view. He turned 360 degrees, surveying the landscape in all directions. “Splendid place you have here, Hugh—just beautiful.”
“Yes, it’s pretty special.” Hugh lifted A
lice-Miranda from his shoulders and set her back onto the ground. “And it’s all the better for having the girls home.” He smiled at his daughter and Jacinta.
“There’s Mummy.” Alice-Miranda grabbed her father’s hand. “Come on.” She tugged his arm as she broke into a run.
“Look who we found!” Alice-Miranda exclaimed as they reached the porch, where her mother was waiting.
“Hello, darling.” Hugh greeted Cecelia with a kiss.
“Lawrence!” she exclaimed, catching sight of him behind her husband. “What a lovely surprise.” Cecelia hugged her guest and he kissed her on both cheeks. “I hadn’t realized you were coming down tonight. Charlotte thinks you’re still in Paris filming. I’ve just got off the phone with her now.”
“It was the strangest thing,” said Hugh as he opened the front door for the group. “I’d just finished my meeting at the club when who should I spy sitting around the corner in the lounge. Considering Lawrie was coming down for the weekend anyway, I asked if he wanted to have some extra days with us. And as luck would have it, he had his overnight bag with him just back from Paris.”
“I hope you don’t mind, Cee.” Lawrence smiled his perfect smile.
“Of course not—it will be lovely to spend some time with you. I have a feeling we should be getting to know you a lot better,” Cecelia replied. “Charlotte will be thrilled—she’s coming down on Friday, of course, but she might come earlier once she knows you’re here.”
Lawrence put his bag down in the entrance hall. “I’d rather not tell her just yet, if that’s all right with you. There are a couple of things I’m trying to get organized, and it will be impossible if she’s here.” He winked at Cecelia. “I’d like to surprise her.”
“Oh … oh, all right then.” Cecelia looked bemused. “Girls—did you hear that? If Aunt Charlotte calls, you’re not to tell her that we have a guest. It’s our special secret, okay?”
Alice-Miranda and Jacinta nodded in agreement.
Alice-Miranda on Vacation Page 4