Dancing the Charleston, page 28
‘I know! She danced beautifully. Everyone said so,’ Roland agreed. ‘Where shall we go then? Can we get to that big hill, the one with all the bushes? It’s difficult to gauge how far away it is.’
‘That’s Blackberry Hill. I know the way. It’s about an hour and a half,’ I said. ‘Aunty and I go in the autumn to pick the berries for jam and pies and crumbles, but they won’t be ripe just yet.’
‘Never mind. I’d like to go. You don’t mind walking that far?’
‘That’s not far,’ I said, though I always moaned when Aunty dragged me along, our bowls and basins clanking at our sides.
We strode down the driveway towards the gates. There were several cars parked there, one with a dishevelled-looking couple snoring loudly on the back seat.
‘Idiots,’ Roland said again.
‘It’s like “The Sleeping Beauty”,’ I said. ‘They’ve all been enchanted and must now sleep for a hundred years.’
‘I shall never, ever give balls when I’m grown up,’ said Roland emphatically. He shook his head and then shut his eyes briefly.
‘What’s the matter?’
‘I’ve got a bit of a headache,’ said Roland. ‘It’s my own fault. I drank a couple of those cocktails last night.’
‘You didn’t!’
‘They tasted disgusting too. Still, I think Esmeralda drank more. She didn’t have anything else to do but drink, stuck in that ridiculous mermaid costume.’
‘I was a mermaid too,’ I said.
‘Yes, but you had enough sense to make sure you could walk around properly, and dance if you felt like it,’ said Roland.
‘You didn’t ask me to dance!’ My mouth said it before I could stop myself.
‘I was going to, but Marcella said you didn’t want to.’
I felt a little flare of happiness in my chest. ‘I’m a hopeless dancer anyway,’ I said. ‘But you’re quite good at it.’
‘Barbara forced us to have dancing lessons when we were little. Luckily there aren’t any dancing teachers near us in France,’ said Roland.
‘Do you like it there?’ I asked.
He shrugged. ‘I do, rather. But they were going to send me to school back here in September. Stanley’s idea. He just wants to get rid of me. But then Uncle Benjamin said that English public schools were worse than prison and that Barbara was mad to send me, and he made her have second thoughts. She’s always been very fond of Uncle Benjamin.’
‘Everyone’s fond of him,’ I said. ‘Even the villagers like him, though they think he dresses funny.’
We walked down to Rook Green, Nigel springing about with joy at the end of his lead, his ears flapping up and down. I hoped Maggie might be around, wanting her to be impressed, but her cottage was quiet. Maybe they were all at church. I saw a few families going to church in their Sunday best: Peter Robinson was walking along between his mother and father, looking very pink and scrubbed in his high white collar and Sunday suit. I nodded at him and he nodded back, though his mother tossed her head at me.
‘Do you know that boy?’ Roland asked.
‘Yes, we’re in the same class at school.’
‘He looks as if he likes you.’
‘He used to, but we’re not really friends any more,’ I said.
We walked all the way through the village and along to the crossroads.
‘They hang people here,’ I said.
‘What?’ said Roland.
‘Not nowadays. Back in the past. They once hanged a woman for witchcraft,’ I told him.
‘What did she do?’ He sounded fascinated.
‘I don’t think she did anything very much. They just didn’t like her, and blamed her when things went wrong. I used to wonder if I might be a witch,’ I said.
‘Really? Did you boil up a magic potion and cast evil spells? Eye of toad and toe of newt and all that stuff?’
‘I just put some herbs in a bottle of vinegar. I was going to sprinkle it on the children who teased me, but then I made friends with Maggie, and she bashed them for me. She can be very fierce,’ I said.
‘So can you,’ said Roland.
I felt proud. At first it felt strange to be chatting to Roland without the others around, but it was a help having Nigel with us. If ever there was a break in the conversation we talked to him: ‘Hey, Nigel!’ ‘Here, boy!’ ‘Nigel, stop doing that! Come back! Bad boy!’
Nigel took no notice, not caring whether we thought him good or bad. When we left the village he strained at his lead so much that I let him off, which was a big mistake, because he immediately dashed off after a rabbit and disappeared entirely. We spent an anxious ten minutes calling and whistling, to no avail.
‘What if he never comes back?’ I said. ‘He might have gone right down a rabbit hole and got stuck. I was the one who let him off the lead. It’s all my fault!’
‘Of course he’ll come back. I’m sure he’s perfectly all right. And it was just as much my fault as yours. If anything has happened, I’ll say I was the one who let him go,’ Roland said.
I was very touched, but insisted we both take the blame. And then Nigel suddenly reappeared, cutting a swathe through the long grass and dashing back to us.
‘There! See? I told you he’d be all right,’ said Roland, but he looked relieved, and quickly slipped the lead on him again.
‘He can pull us along when we get to the really hilly part,’ I said.
By the time we got to the top we were both hot and breathless. We perched on the little rocky bit. Roland rolled up his shirtsleeves and I peeled off my socks and rubbed my feet. I saw him glance down at my shoes, looking at the soles where they were worn thin. I hid them quickly.
‘We often have holes in our shoes too,’ he said. ‘Barbara forgets that sort of thing. I think that’s why she makes the girls wear those hideous sandals. They’re practically indestructible. I refused to wear them, and Bruno copied me, much to Barbara’s annoyance. She made us go barefoot for a while.’
‘She’s a bit weird, your mother,’ I said.
‘She’s trying so hard to be Bohemian. It’s because Stanley’s an artist. She was never like that when my father was alive. I wish, wish, wish he hadn’t died,’ said Roland.
‘I wonder if my father and your father knew each other,’ I said. ‘Perhaps they fought in the same regiment … Though I suppose your father would have been a colonel or something and mine would have been just an ordinary soldier,’ I said.
‘My father was a captain,’ said Roland.
‘Will you be a soldier too?’
Roland peered down at the yellow and green and brown fields below us. ‘I fancy growing things. And I love animals. I shall rear the most tremendous pigs like the one in the village.’
‘I don’t think you’d like to do the killing part if you love animals,’ I said. ‘I heard Mrs Higgins’s last pig having its throat cut and it was simply terrible. I still dream about that squealing sometimes.’
‘You’re right, I’d hate that part,’ said Roland. ‘I think I’ll just rear pigs because they’re comical and delightful. And I’ll keep sheep for their wool. I’d never turn the young ones into lamb. And I won’t kill cows for beef, I’d just have them milked.’
‘But that’s upsetting too, when they take the calves away. The cows moo for days, missing them.’
‘You’re relentless, Mona,’ said Roland, giving me a little push. ‘Maybe Bruno will have to run the farm too. He can be very tough. Marcella’s soft, so she can help rear the baby animals and feed the chickens.’
‘What about Esmeralda?’
‘She wants to live in London, especially now she’s chummed up with Desiree. She’s no fun any more. She just fusses about her hair and her clothes all the time.’
‘Her hair’s so beautiful,’ I said, and then blushed because I sounded soppy.
‘Esmeralda doesn’t think so. She hates it – she says long hair is old-fashioned. I didn’t know hair could go in and out of fashion, but there you are.’ Roland shook his head.
‘Does she want to put it up?’
‘No, she wants to have it all cut off.’
‘She mustn’t do that!’ I said, horrified.
‘She keeps begging Barbara to let her go to Desiree’s hairdresser, but Barbara won’t hear of it. So now she’s threatening to cut it off herself,’ said Roland.
‘Well, it’s a good job she didn’t do it yesterday. She’d have looked like a very odd mermaid without any hair and we’d have seen her chest!’ I said.
Roland chuckled. ‘Gosh, I’m starving. We should have brought a picnic. You haven’t got anything to eat, have you? Let’s go through our pockets.’
My dress didn’t have real pockets, just pretend slits, because Aunty thought they’d spoil the design. Luckily Roland had deep pockets, and after a lot of rummaging he found a couple of dog biscuits in the shape of bones, and half a sandwich he’d forgotten about. He examined it carefully.
‘I think it’s only a couple of days old. The cheese hasn’t gone mouldy. Would you like it?’ he said, offering it to me.
‘I can’t take your sandwich,’ I said.
‘We’ll split it.’ He tore it in half, and we munched it while Nigel crunched his biscuits and then begged for crusts.
‘He’s a very greedy dog,’ said Roland. ‘It’s Uncle Benjamin’s fault. He’s hopelessly soft with him and feeds him all kinds of titbits. He does the same with us actually. He once let Bruno eat an entire box of chocolates. You can imagine what happened afterwards, on one of his Persian rugs. But Uncle just laughed, and Bruno thought it worth being sick to have had such an amazing experience. He boasted about it for months.’
‘Mr Benjamin always gives me cake,’ I said. ‘He’s the kindest man ever. I’m so glad he’s living in Somerset Manor and not your uncle George.’
‘We all are! Apparently he invited Uncle George and Aunt Mary and Cedric and Ada to the Sea Creatures Ball, but they wouldn’t come. Such a shame. Imagine what a splendid walrus Uncle George would have made with his whiskers. And I’m sure Aunt Mary could have grown some too,’ said Roland.
I burst out laughing. ‘They were horrid to Aunty,’ I said.
‘They’re beastly to everyone. At my grandmother’s funeral Aunt Mary made Barbara cry. She said we looked like a bunch of ragamuffins and we’d all end up degenerates,’ said Roland.
‘That’s terrible!’ I pretended to be shocked, although half the village had muttered the same thing, Aunty included.
‘Uncle Benjamin said I was far more likely to become a degenerate if they forced me to go to boarding school,’ said Roland.
I wasn’t sure what a degenerate was, but I nodded sympathetically.
‘Anyway, if they do send me, I shall run away at the first opportunity. I’ve already started saving my pocket money for train fares, and I’ll take my pocket knife. I’ll need rations too. Maybe a packet of biscuits or that mint cake explorers take on voyages. And matches.’
‘For smoking?’
‘That’s a good idea – I’ve developed a real craving for it now I’ve made friends with the workmen. But I meant for a fire, in case I have to lie low somewhere. I’ve got it all planned out,’ said Roland proudly.
‘But how will you get all the way to France? Wouldn’t a boat cost much more than pocket money?’
‘I’m not going home! What would be the point? Stanley would probably give me a thrashing and then send me straight back. I’ll come here instead. Uncle Benjamin would take me in like a shot. I know he’d let me live with him. And I’d probably learn heaps more than if I went to some lousy school. Uncle’s got so many books. I could browse in the library all morning and work on the farm in the afternoon to earn my keep.’
I was starting to wonder why I’d been so keen to get into Hailbury High School. ‘That sounds like bliss,’ I said.
‘And we could take Nigel for walks,’ said Roland.
I grinned happily at him. We sat there talking for a very long time. Neither of us had a watch, and neither of us wanted to suggest going home. Eventually hunger got the better of us.
‘My stomach’s rumbling dreadfully. I think it must be lunchtime by now, maybe even later,’ said Roland. ‘Perhaps we’d better start back. Your aunt will be worrying about you. And I dare say my people will be making a fuss – if they’ve surfaced yet. Come on.’ He stood up and held out his hand. I seized it and he pulled me up.
It seemed a very long way. I was sure I had blisters on my feet. Roland strode out manfully but he was starting to look tired too, and his hair kept flopping in his eyes, irritating him.
‘Maybe you’re the one who should get his hair bobbed,’ I said.
He laughed. ‘No fear!’ Then he hesitated. ‘Do you think it looks stupid this long then?’
‘No, I think it looks lovely,’ I said.
By the time we got to the village we were exhausted, and painfully thirsty.
‘Tell you what, let’s get a drink,’ said Roland, looking at the Plough and Harrow Inn on the corner.
‘We can’t go in there! Children aren’t allowed to drink beer.’
‘We’re not going to drink beer, silly.’ Roland was counting the change in his pockets. ‘I think that’s enough.’
‘But isn’t that your running-away money?’
‘I’ve got heaps more. Don’t worry. You’d better stay outside and wait for me,’ he said. ‘Hold Nigel’s lead.’
I knew Mr Pogson who owned the Plough and Harrow. He was a big, red-faced man with shoulders wider than most doors. I was worried he’d send Roland packing. I waited there, all of a dither, but Roland came strolling out with a pint of lemonade in either hand.
‘Oh my goodness!’ I said, impressed. ‘What did you say to him?’
‘I just asked for some lemonade and put my money on the counter. Easy,’ said Roland.
Everything was easy if you were a Somerset. I gulped down my drink, though I wasn’t sure it was wise. I was already aching to use the lavatory. On a long walk I usually went behind a bush, but with Roland there I was too embarrassed.
The last stretch back to the manor seemed to go on for ever, and I had a bad pain in my tummy. I envied Nigel, who simply cocked his leg whenever he felt like it.
‘Thank you so much for the walk and the lemonade, Roland. I’ve had such a lovely time,’ I said when we got to the cottage.
Then I scooted inside quick sharp before I wet myself.
I wanted to go to India.
22
Aunty was up and dressed, her hair in a neat bun, but she still looked terrible.
‘Where have you been, Mona?’ She sounded terrible too.
‘I’m sorry, Aunty. I’ve been for a walk with Roland. I should have left you a note,’ I said. ‘How do you feel now?’
Aunty ducked her head. ‘I’m fine, thank you,’ she lied.
‘You were amazing last night,’ I started, trying to make her feel better, but she shook her head.
‘I don’t want to talk about last night,’ she said.
‘I never knew you could dance like that!’ I persisted.
‘Mona, please! Stop it now. Have you had any lunch?’
‘No. I’m absolutely starving. We walked right up Blackberry Hill together, Roland and me,’ I told her.
‘Roland and I,’ she corrected automatically. ‘Right, I’ll fix you something.’
She hadn’t started on our Sunday roast lunch. She cooked me an omelette instead. She didn’t eat anything herself. She didn’t have anything at teatime either – just a cup of tea, not even a biscuit. Most of the time she was in her workroom, but when I looked in on her to see if she was all right, she wasn’t sewing. She was clasping her head in her hands, her eyes shut.
On Monday she was mercifully back to normal, working hard, but she still wouldn’t talk about the Sea Creatures Ball, not even to Mr Benjamin. He came calling on Monday morning, with Nigel.
‘Good morning, Miss Watson. Good morning, Mona. I do hope you enjoyed yourself on Saturday night,’ he said cheerily.
‘Oh yes, Mr Benjamin. It was amazing,’ I said.
‘Thank you, sir,’ Aunty murmured.
‘We danced up a storm!’ Mr Benjamin started, but stopped short when he saw Aunty’s face. He quickly changed the subject. ‘Nearly all my visitors have gone now, but the children are having a swim. I wondered if Mona would like to join them …’
‘Oh, yes please!’ I said, but Aunty was shaking her head.
‘She doesn’t know how to swim, sir. And she doesn’t have a proper bathing costume,’ she said.
‘Oh, she’ll soon pick it up from the others – they swim like little fishes. Esmeralda has gone to stay with Arabella and Desiree in London for a couple of days, so Mona can borrow her costume. I’ll get Barbara to look it out. And what about you, Miss Watson? Can I tempt you away from your work? You could lounge by the pool while keeping an eye on young Mona.’
‘I’m afraid I can’t, Mr Benjamin,’ Aunty said firmly, but she let me go, telling me not to go out of my depth and begging me to be careful.
Mr Benjamin promised that he would watch me like a hawk. ‘I am only a moderately competent swimmer myself, but Ambrose got a swimming certificate at school, so he is our resident lifeguard,’ he assured her.
I felt guilty at leaving Aunty again, but I didn’t want to miss this chance. As we walked up to the manor, Mr Benjamin chatted about the ball.
‘I hope you really did enjoy it, Mona. I’m afraid it got a little wild, but I think you and your aunt had left by then. I didn’t get to bed until dawn, and then the spirit of my mother hovered over me, admonishing me for the decadent behaviour in her house. I found myself apologizing abjectly. I was always a little afraid of her, the dear old duck.’
When we arrived, everyone was in the pool. Roland waved to me, and Marcella jumped up and down excitedly and said, ‘Come and join us, Mona!’ Bruno started splashing me, but Roland seized hold of him and dunked him.
Barbara heaved herself out of the water and went to find me a swimming costume. Her own blue knitted outfit was embarrassingly clingy, with several moth holes. I hoped Esmeralda’s costume would be less revealing. Luckily it was made of stiff navy material, with legs that came right down to my knees. It was much too big, but at least I was decently covered.
