‘Come on, let’s go,’ insisted Alice, patting his back. He jumped down and did as he was told. Remarkable. Perhaps he could understand her after all! As they walked leisurely back up Albany Road, the two birds followed in their usual manner, flitting from hedge to gatepost, chirping as they went. A squirrel racing up the trunk of a birch tree stopped to stare at them as they passed by. Alice began to wonder if she had stumbled onto the set of a children’s film. ‘Don’t be silly,’ she told herself sternly, shaking her head. When she arrived at her own gate, the birds gave a final chirp and flew away. Jack barked goodbye.
‘Never a dull moment,’ said Alice under her breath as she let herself in. She couldn’t even walk the dog without a strange occurrence.
*
At school on Monday, Alice started to put the plan into place. Since Saturday she had felt different, more confident, and was determined to play her part in helping the Finwip community. She began by giving Christmas cards to the coven. Katy raised an eyebrow and tossed hers aside after opening it. Sarah gave them a card each as well, to Alice’s amusement.
‘It can only help,’ she said. Lucinda felt rather disconcerted.
‘Er, Sarah,’ she began, turning round in her seat. ‘I’m sorry about the cake incident. And you, Alice.’ She was flushed with embarrassment, aware that Katy and Olivia were listening in horror to her apology.
‘I’m sorry too,’ said Alice, forcing her best convincing smile. ‘Shall we call it quits?’
Lucinda nodded and turned away quickly.
Sarah made a thumbs-up gesture in her lap. Alice gave a nod of acknowledgement. She handed Sarah a bag containing a fruit and cereal slice she had made on Sunday evening.
‘One of your special recipes?’ she asked.
‘Of course. It’s not bad, actually.’
‘Let’s hope it stops you snacking in art lessons.’
Alice stuck her tongue out.
*
Frustratingly, it wasn’t until Wednesday, the last day of term, that she really made progress with Lucinda. Geography passed without a hitch. Alice didn’t answer any questions and spent most of the lesson staring at a map of the world on the wall, trying to guess the locations of all the Finwip villages. At break she found Lucinda sitting in a corner of the cloakroom trying to do her French homework before the lesson. She had been told off the previous lesson for turning up without it, so would be in serious trouble this time.
‘Need any help?’ Alice asked.
Lucinda looked up, surprised at her offer. ‘Er, if you don’t mind,’ she replied awkwardly. ‘You know I’m rubbish at French.’
Alice sat down next to her and, as Lucinda went through the comprehension questions, Alice pointed to the sentence in the passage where she could find the answer. Lucinda scribbled down the last answer with five minutes of break time to spare.
‘Thank you,’ she said earnestly. ‘I owe you one.’
‘You like horses, don’t you?’ said Alice, pretending to be naive. ‘What do you think of this one?’ She pulled the photo of Guinevere from the inner pocket of her blazer. Lucinda’s eyes opened wide as she looked at the photo.
‘It’s...incredible!’ she exclaimed. ‘I’ve never seen a horse quite like it. Whose is it?’
‘She’s mine,’ replied Alice calmly.
‘No way! What breed is she? Where did you get her from? She must have cost a fortune!’
‘I don’t know what breed she is. Very rare, I’m told. It’s a long story, but it was a surprise, which had something to do with my grandfather. And yes, I believe she is quite valuable. I don’t know a lot about horses, it’s all new to me.’
‘You don’t even ride, do you?’
‘Er, no. I’ll learn, though.’
For the first time ever, Lucinda looked at Alice enviously. ‘Can I see her?’ she asked.
‘Not for a while I’m afraid,’ explained Alice, just as Imogen had advised her. ‘She’s being looked after by friends at the moment. She’s very nervous and wary of strangers.’
‘Oh, that is a shame,’ said Lucinda, visibly disappointed. ‘Maybe soon, then.’
‘I’ll see what I can do,’ fibbed Alice.
When the bell sounded, she joined Sarah and Sebastian, who were walking upstairs to the French room. She caught the tail end of their conversation.
‘So, why are you and Alice talking to Lucinda and Co?’ Sebastian queried. ‘I thought you couldn’t stand them.’
‘Er, good question,’ replied Sarah, trying to think of a sensible answer. ‘I think Alice would rather be friends than enemies. She’s had enough of their comments lately.’
‘I can understand that,’ conceded Sebastian, suddenly aware that Alice was behind him. ‘Are you alright today?’ he asked.
‘Oh, fine thank you,’ she replied, touched by his consideration.
‘Sometimes my mum has a funny turn like yours,’ he went on. ‘They never last long though.’
‘Thank goodness,’ said Alice, grinning in the knowledge that Sebastian’s mum’s ‘turns’ couldn’t be anything like hers.
During the lesson, Lucinda was praised by Mme Péraud not only for completing her homework, but for answering the questions correctly. She grinned at Alice. Katy and Olivia were evidently not so happy and cast several dirty looks in Alice’s direction, betraying their jealousy. Lucinda didn’t seem to care. The truth was she was preoccupied with that horse in the photograph and would do anything to see it.
Later on, in maths, Alice was sailing confidently through the excercise they had been set, unaware that the rest of the class had been looking at each other uncomfortably for five minutes or so. Mrs Myers hadn’t explained the principles clearly enough. A few more examples wouldn’t have gone amiss for most of the class. The teacher soon realised her error, but was quick to point out that Alice was not experiencing any problems. The first Alice knew of this was when she felt the rest of the room turning to stare at her. However, this time was different. When Lucinda just smiled, the rest of the coven did the same, grudgingly. Then no one else dared say anything derogatory and simply looked away. Sarah raised her eyebrows in surprise.
‘Bonus!’ whispered Alice. It seemed being nice to Lucinda may have more than one positive outcome.
After school, Alice started to walk home and passed Lucinda sitting on the wall outside, waiting for her mother.
‘Just the person,’ she grinned, getting up. ‘Would you like to come to my house and learn to ride?’ she asked.
‘Really? Yes, please, that would be great!’
‘I’ll check with my mum, but how about ten o’clock tomorrow morning, first day of the holidays?’
‘Sounds fine, thanks,’ said Alice, trying to sound calm. She smiled gratefully and carried on walking. Whilst being overjoyed at her progress, she was also terrified by the thought of meeting Brian. Further down the road, a horn sounded and Alice saw Lucinda and her mother waving at her from a red Porsche. She waved back enthusiastically.
Amazing, thought Alice. All this because she thinks I’ve got something she hasn’t. Imagine if she really knew...
Chapter 10
An Invitation
The sound of that same loud horn alerted Alice to the arrival of Lucinda and Mrs Rowbottom on Thursday morning. Thomas looked out of his window and saw the Porsche.
‘You lucky cow!’ he called to Alice as she galloped down the stairs and grabbed her warmest coat and gloves. ‘Does Lucinda have an older sister, by any chance?’
‘Yes, actually,’ Alice replied before slamming the front door in her haste.
Lucinda got out of the car to let Alice climb into the back. The smell of new leather was still strong, even though competing with expensive perfume.
‘Good morning, Alice,’ said Mrs Rowbottom cheerfully. ‘Looking forward to your riding lesson?’
‘Oh yes, very much,’ gushed Alice, making a special effort to be polite, while trying not to stare at all the gold necklaces that must be weighing dow
n Mrs Rowbottom’s neck. She wondered how she could grip the steering wheel wearing so many rings. Her bleached blonde hair was perfectly styled with so much hairspray that Alice suspected it would crack if she tapped it.
‘You’ll be fine,’ assured Lucinda. ‘I’ve chosen our best pony for you.’
‘Thanks,’ said Alice. She felt rather stupid in her jeans and thick waterproof jacket. Lucinda was wearing a black coat edged with fake black fur over her riding gear, looking every bit as though they were going to a fashion show rather than a muddy field.
‘Don’t worry,’ said Lucinda, as if sensing her awkwardness. ‘I’ve got some riding clothes ready for you at home, you can change when we get there.’
Alice smiled in appreciation, already feeling cramped in the small space she had in the back of the car. No better than her mum’s Mini, really.
Fortunately they were there in ten minutes. Alice couldn’t decide if she was more excited or nervous.
The electric gates opened when Lucinda pressed the remote. Mrs Rowbottom parked the Porsche in one of the garages, just as Grandad had seen. The house was magnificent, even from the outside. It had timbered gables, leaded windows, several balconies and a tennis court to the front. Inside, Alice stared out of the window at the garden. The Rowbottoms had their own lake with a pedalo, canoes and a motorboat. In the distance, she could see a horse, so the field and stables must be further down.
‘I’ve left the clothes in a changing room for you,’ said Lucinda. ‘I’ll show you.’
Changing rooms in a house? Oh, of course. For the indoor swimming pool. Alice had to smile when she saw the pool had its own kitchen area and bar for entertaining.
‘You must have some fantastic parties here!’ she enthused.
‘We do! But not this Christmas, my dad has decided to have the big party at the castle this year.’
‘Oh, I did see something in the paper about him buying the castle,’ Alice admitted, trying not to sound too interested.
‘I’ll wait for you outside,’ said Lucinda.
Alice got changed as quickly as possible, squeezing into Lucinda’s clothes, which were unpleasantly tight. At least the boots fitted properly. She took the hat with her and joined Lucinda to walk down to the paddock. It seemed silly, wasting time learning to ride when she was unlikely to get on a horse again after today. Lucinda proved to be a good teacher, though. It certainly helped that Blaze, the pony Alice was riding, was very well trained and responded to all commands. Alice found it quite easy, trotting alongside Lucinda on her pony and, to her surprise, she was enjoying it.
‘I’ve never seen Blaze so well-behaved!’ said Lucinda. ‘She seems to like you!’
Mmm. Another animal that appeared to understand her. She would have to ask Imogen about this. Perhaps she was imagining it. But then again, until last week, she thought she had imagined someone at her window. ‘Er, yes, she does,’ murmered Alice, unsure what else to say. At least her cheeks blushing in embarrassment wouldn’t be noticed beneath the red glow of the cold. She looked back up the garden at the house. ‘This really is a dream home,’ she said. ‘You’re so lucky to live here.’
‘Oh, I know, we do love it. You’re welcome to come again, if you like.’
‘Thank you!’ Lucinda was actually a decent person, it seemed. Not at all like she was at school, with the coven. Unless all this was just an act because she was desperate to see Guinevere. Perhaps she was as cunning as her father. That thought put Alice back on track with her mission.
‘Is your dad working at the castle, then?’
‘Yes,’ said Lucinda, pulling a face. ‘He’s hardly been at home since he bought it. I don’t know what he’s doing there, but he’s been working until late at night. I suppose he prefers to work after closing time, when there are no tourists.’
‘Perhaps,’ agreed Alice, relieved that she wasn’t going to bump into him today. There was still a chance that Theo may be at the house, though. But surely Lucinda’s mother would know every inch of her home, so there would be nowhere to hide him?
‘What’s that small building for at the end of the drive?’ asked Alice. ‘Sorry, I don’t mean to be nosey,’ she added hurriedly.
‘By the gates? That’s the old lodge. Dad uses it as an office for his property business. His PA works in there and there are people coming and going all the time. Evenings and weekends too.’
‘He must be very busy,’ commented Alice, intrigued.
‘Oh, I don’t think it’s all about work,’ continued Lucinda. ‘We see people taking in food, drink and all sorts of things with them. But Mum, Isabella and I are never invited to whatever goes on in there. We don’t care, though, it must get pretty cramped, it’s only small. Shall we leave the riding there for today and have some lunch? You’ve done really well for a first lesson.’
‘Sounds good to me,’ replied Alice. ‘I’ve learned a lot, thanks.’ She really had. Could the lodge be the entrance to the underground Sinwip village? All those people going in to such a small building at any time of day? Lucinda, as well as her mum and sister, clearly had no idea what was going on. Perhaps it was better that way.
They got changed out of their riding clothes and met up back in the kitchen. Mrs Rowbottom had left lunch ready for them. In the fridge Lucinda found a selection of small sandwiches and on the table was a cake box from a bakery Alice hadn’t heard of. Lucinda lifted the lid.
‘I asked mum to get this for you,’ she explained. ‘I suppose I should have invited Sarah as well. It was her cake I ruined at the sale.’
She slid the box along the table to Alice, who was thrilled to find a splendid cake, decorated with glazed fresh fruit and piled high with berries.
‘Wow!’ she exclaimed, Lucinda’s generosity taking her by surprise. ‘You needn’t have bought this! But thank you, it looks wonderful.’
‘I noticed you seem to like fruit!’ said Lucinda.
‘Er...yes,’ admitted Alice. ‘I have been eating a lot of it lately. My mum has been making us eat healthy food at home.’
‘Well, it can’t be doing any harm, you seem to be getting brainier!’
‘Ha, yes, it must be all the vitamins!’ laughed Alice, trying to make a joke of it. As they ate lunch, she changed the subject to Christmas, keen to steer the conversation away from her own recent behaviour. Lucinda had already been shopping for presents with her sister. ‘Did you buy anything exciting?’ asked Alice politely.
‘No, not really. But I did get a brilliant outfit for the Christmas ball. It’s a red dress with a black hooded cloak. I got a mask too.’
‘A mask?’
‘It’s a medieval masquerade ball this year, since it’s being held in a medieval castle,’ clarified Lucinda.
‘It sounds amazing,’ cooed Alice, cutting her cake. ‘Have a slice, at least,’ she insisted.
‘OK, thanks. I’ll be back in a minute.’
Lucinda left the table and disappeared upstairs. She returned with a rolled up paper.
‘For you and Sarah,’ she announced, handing it over with a smile.
Alice took what turned out to be a scroll tied with red ribbon. She unrolled it carefully and realised that this parchment-style paper was an invitation. Hardly daring to believe her luck, she read:
You and a guest are invited to
The
Medieval Masquerade Ball
at Aylesford Castle
on Saturday 21st December.
As friends of the Rowbottom family you will be treated to an evening of festive fun and indulgence in the most magnificent setting.
Guaranteed to be an unforgettable experience.
7.30pm till late. Masks obligatory!
R.S.V.P.
to
Brian, Jacqueline, Isabella and Lucinda
This was what the village had been waiting for. Alice was now that ‘unique someone’ that her grandad had spoken of. A Finwip as well as a friend of the Rowbottoms.
‘I don’t know what to say!’ she
gasped eventually. ‘Thank you so much! Sarah will be so pleased when I tell her. Oh wow! This means we’ve only got two days to find something to wear!’
Alice was really thinking that an outfit was the least of her concerns. She needed to tell Imogen immediately and find out exactly what the plan was once she arrived at the party. That feeling of excitement mixed with fear was now stronger than ever.
‘Don’t panic,’ Lucinda reassured her. ‘A long dress and a mask are all you need. The costume shop in town has a whole range of masks. It will be fun, you’ll see. Dad’s planning an extra special one this year.’
Bet I know why, thought Alice. ‘I can’t wait!’ she said.
As soon as Mrs Rowbottom had driven her home, Alice raced upstairs to bang on Thomas’s door. A sleepy-looking head appeared.
‘I’ve done it,’ she said proudly, ‘I’ve got an invitation to the ball at the castle! Sarah is invited too.’
‘You jammy thing!’ said Thomas. ‘That’s great, though. We need to let the village know so they can start making plans.’
‘We’re going to need costumes,’ said Alice, worried. It’s a medieval theme. Do you think Freya can help? There’s not much time before Saturday night.’
‘I’m sure something can be sorted. Listen, I’ll go and let them know. You can give Sarah the good news. I think she deserves a treat for putting up with you!’
Alice opened her mouth to say something rude, but stopped herself. He had a point.
‘See if she can come over tomorrow,’ suggested Thomas. ‘We’ve got a lot to organise.’
By late afternoon, everything was arranged. Sarah’s sister would bring her over in the morning, then she, Alice and Thomas would go down to Finwip village to discuss the task ahead. Alice still couldn’t imagine how she would find and rescue someone in a huge castle with so many people around. Still, a few days ago she never dreamed she would grow wings or be invited to a Rowbottom Christmas extravaganza...
Alice Parker's Metamorphosis (Book 1 of the new adventure series for children) Page 9
