Alice-Miranda Holds the Key 15

by Jacqueline Harvey

  ‘Darling, I don’t believe you’ve met Hugh yet,’ Anthony said, and swiftly introduced the pair.

  Hugh shook Jemima’s hand, then leaned forward and kissed each of her cheeks. ‘We’ve been looking forward to having permanent neighbours again. Your father-in-law wasn’t about much in the past few years.’

  Cecelia kissed Anthony, then turned to Jemima. ‘Fancy seeing you again so soon,’ she said. ‘It’s very fortuitous as I wanted to ask whether you’d like to come along to the garden party. It’s on next weekend and I realised after we’d left yesterday that it would be the most wonderful introduction to the village. This year we’re relaunching the Paper Moon charity for the children’s hospitals.’

  Jemima inhaled sharply.

  ‘It was such a pity about that dreadful man who ran off with all the money. What was his name, Hugh?’ Cecelia looked to her husband.

  ‘Berwick,’ Hugh said disdainfully.

  ‘Yes, that’s right. Desmond Berwick,’ Anthony confirmed.

  ‘What a shocking swindler he turned out to be. I’m just glad he got his comeuppance in the end. I hear he’s being detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure,’ Hugh said.

  ‘Who was he?’ Millie asked, intrigued.

  ‘He was in charge of the Paper Moon Foundation, working across all the major children’s hospitals,’ Cecelia explained. ‘It was a magnificent organisation until he made off with millions. The charity went into liquidation, but we’re thrilled to be relaunching it with Aunty Gee’s help at the garden party.’

  Jemima Tavistock fidgeted with the rings on her left hand and stared vacantly into the distance.

  ‘Is Chessie your daughter, Lady Tavistock?’ Alice-Miranda asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Anthony said, leaping in, ‘she’s probably a year or so older than you and she just started at Bodlington last term.’

  ‘Oh, my cousin goes there,’ Millie said. ‘She loves it. Maybe she and Chessie are friends. Her name is –’

  ‘Yes, perhaps they are,’ Jemima said, earning a confused look from Millie, who had been cut off before revealing her cousin’s identity.

  ‘That’s a long way away,’ Cecelia said. ‘It must be tricky to get up there during the term.’

  ‘Yes, but you understand – family tradition and all that,’ Jemima said.

  Cecelia nodded. ‘Of course. Alice-Miranda had absolutely no say about where she was heading for her primary years, although I didn’t expect her to make arrangements to start quite as early as she did. Now that her school has expanded into secondary I think we’d have to drag her out of there kicking and screaming.’

  ‘You’re right about that, Mummy,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘I don’t fancy moving one little bit.’

  ‘Me either,’ Millie agreed.

  ‘What a pity Chessie’s not here for the holidays,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘I could have introduced her to Jasper and Poppy. They live on the farm at Highton Hall and we always have the best adventures when we get together.’

  ‘Anyway, we should leave you two lovebirds to have your lunch,’ Hugh said. ‘I imagine you’re still on your honeymoon.’

  ‘Why don’t you join us?’ Anthony suggested. He looked at his wife, who smiled blankly.

  ‘Oh no, we don’t want to intrude,’ Hugh said.

  ‘Trust me, it’s so good to see you and we hardly ever get to catch up. Besides, Jemima and Cee can chat about the garden party and there are a couple of things I’d like to run by you, if I may?’ Anthony realised that if anyone could give him sound financial advice it would be Hugh.

  The decision was made and the waitress, who had been hovering with a slightly tense look on her face, quickly joined another table to the one the Tavistocks were sitting at. More menus were distributed and the group sat down.

  Anthony Tavistock suddenly remembered that Hugh and Cecelia had some rather large problems of their own at the moment. ‘So where are things up to with the … incident?’ he asked.

  ‘Miss Plunkett has taken over the investigation,’ Alice-Miranda said, and noted how Jemima’s eyes widened at the mention of the woman’s name.

  Anthony frowned. ‘Oh, you mean the Head of SPLOD. Wasn’t that a curious thing when she and Queen Georgiana went on television to reveal all about the organisation? Talk about going from a closed shop to a totally transparent operation.’

  ‘She’s so clever,’ Alice-Miranda said, earning a nod from Millie. ‘They both are.’

  ‘Well, that’s very good news,’ Anthony said. ‘Don’t you think, darling?’

  But Jemima was a world away. Alice-Miranda couldn’t help but notice that her sparkle seemed to have dimmed. She worried that it was perhaps her and her mother’s fault for telling Lady Tavistock all the things the Heritage Council wouldn’t allow her to do with Bedford Manor. She hoped that wasn’t the case, although Jemima couldn’t seem to get rid of her visitors fast enough after her phone call the other day.

  Orders were taken and it wasn’t long before plates of food were delivered. It was Sunday roasts for everyone except for Jemima, who had opted for a poached fish dish.

  ‘So what did you want to discuss?’ Hugh asked quietly.

  Cecelia and Alice-Miranda were in the middle of an animated discussion about the arrangements for the garden party, regaling Jemima with how it all worked and who was involved. Millie listened intently, having never been before either.

  ‘It’s about the estate,’ Anthony said in hushed tones. ‘Perhaps I should come to see you at home some time and we can talk privately, when you don’t have so much on your plate.’

  Hugh chewed his pork slowly and looked over at his friend with concern. ‘Not good?’

  Anthony shook his head. ‘Worse than I ever imagined.’

  ‘Why don’t you pop over this evening?’ Hugh suggested. ‘Bring Jemima, and Cee can give her a tour of the house.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ Anthony asked.

  Hugh nodded. ‘Absolutely.’

  ‘Great, that would be great.’ Anthony smiled. If anyone knew the best way to get out of the mess they were in, it was Hugh Kennington-Jones.

  After their lunch at the Rose and Donkey, Hugh and Cecelia and the girls headed back to Highton Hall. Alice-Miranda and Millie planned to visit Bony and Chops at the stables then make some signs for Mrs Oliver’s garden-party tea tent.

  ‘I wonder why Lady Tavistock didn’t tell us about her daughter yesterday,’ Alice-Miranda pondered aloud.

  ‘Maybe she doesn’t like her,’ Millie said. ‘She wouldn’t be the first parent we’ve known who isn’t fond of their own children.’

  Alice-Miranda grinned. ‘She hardly seems evil to me.’

  ‘Perhaps Jemima didn’t hear you properly, darling,’ Cecelia said. Her phone buzzed and she reached into her handbag to check the message. Alice-Miranda didn’t miss the smile on her mother’s face.

  ‘What was that, Mummy?’ Alice-Miranda asked.

  ‘Oh, just Granny with a silly question about the garden party,’ Cecelia replied.

  ‘I didn’t think Granny knew how to do anything on her phone except make calls and even then she’s pretty hopeless,’ Alice-Miranda said. The last time she’d seen her grandmother, the woman was bemoaning people’s inability to pick up a phone and dial their friends these days. Her mother’s answer sounded a bit fishy.

  ‘She’s been practising,’ Cecelia said, the fib sitting uneasily on her tongue.

  ‘Well, she’s doing better than my grandpa,’ Millie said. ‘He ended up calling the Lost Dogs Home to make an appointment for a check-up when he was meant to call his doctor. They couldn’t work out what he was on about when he said that he needed someone to take his temperature and his blood pressure and the like. When he was telling Mummy what he’d done, she said she was sure he wouldn’t have wanted them to take his temperature at all.’

  Alice-Miranda giggled into her hands.

  ‘There’s no arguing with that,’ Hugh laughed.

  He turned into the long driveway at High
ton Hall and into the path of Heinrich, who was driving the tractor and towing a trailer laden with straw bales. He brought the vehicle to a clattering halt beside the car.

  Hugh put down his window and Alice-Miranda lowered hers too.

  ‘Hi there,’ Heinrich called, giving them a wave. ‘How are you feeling, Alice-Miranda?’

  ‘Very well, thank you. Can Poppy and Jasper come up to play tomorrow?’ Alice-Miranda asked.

  ‘Lily and Poppy dropped in today but you had gone out. She left a toy she thought might be yours with Mrs Shillingsworth,’ the man said.

  Alice-Miranda frowned. She couldn’t remember losing any toys last time she came home and wondered where Lily would have found it.

  ‘Perhaps the children will see you in the morning, but I think you are going to be very busy with your –’ He stopped suddenly when he caught sight of Cecelia’s face. ‘I will see you all later. Got to get this unloaded into the hay shed,’ the man said, and put his foot down, the tractor exhaust billowing smoke as it lurched forward.

  ‘That was strange. Heinrich didn’t even finish what he was going to say,’ Alice-Miranda said, putting up her window.

  Shilly greeted the family on the veranda and helped Alice-Miranda inside. ‘How was your lunch?’ she asked.

  ‘Lovely, thanks,’ Cecelia said with a smile. ‘But I think someone needs to head upstairs and have a rest.’

  ‘I’m fine, Mummy,’ Alice-Miranda protested. ‘I’m not a baby and I don’t need a sleep. Millie and I can play cards in the sitting room.’

  ‘I’m not playing cards with you,’ Millie said. ‘You always beat me. Besides, when your parents said I could stay, I promised I wouldn’t tire you out.’

  Alice-Miranda wrinkled her nose. ‘I’m fine, really. Can we lay on my bed and read, Mummy?’

  ‘All right.’ Cecelia gave her daughter a look that said this was not negotiable. The child flew through the kitchen and up the back stairs, eager to show her parents and Millie that her sprained ankle wasn’t slowing her down at all. She reached the top landing and stopped.

  ‘Did you hear that noise?’ She turned to Millie, who had charged up behind her. Her father had followed them up as well.

  Millie looked at her quizically.

  ‘Daddy, can you hear giggling?’

  Hugh shook his head, the corners of his mouth lifting. ‘What noise? I can’t hear a thing.’

  ‘It’s coming from the blue room.’ Alice-Miranda turned back to her father, her brown eyes huge. ‘Are they here? Are they really here?’

  Cecelia had crept up the stairs too and watched as her daughter opened the bedroom door to the delighted squeals of her twin toddler cousins and Aunt Charlotte.

  That evening, Highton Hall was a hive of activity. Alice-Miranda and Millie played games with Marcus and Imogen until the toddlers could no longer keep their eyes open. Millie carried Imogen upstairs and Charlotte carried Marcus, while Alice-Miranda brought up the rear, treading carefully without her crutches. They put the twins to bed, with Imogen in the cot that had once belonged to her mother and aunt and Alice-Miranda after that, and Marcus in an almost identical one that Cecelia had especially built when she found out her sister was having twins.

  Although Marcus objected when his mother laid him down, he squawked for mere seconds before falling fast asleep. Imogen didn’t even try to resist.

  ‘Goodness me, I think I need to have you two around all the time. They’re completely worn out. I don’t remember them ever having gone to sleep so quickly,’ Charlotte whispered as the trio prepared to exit the room. She checked the baby monitor and slipped the remote unit into her pocket.

  As they wandered along the hallway to the back stairs, the kitchen doorbell rang.

  ‘That must be Lord and Lady Tavistock,’ Alice-Miranda said.

  ‘Surely your mother didn’t invite them to dinner,’ Charlotte berated. ‘She’s got quite enough on her plate at the moment.’

  ‘No, I think Daddy and Lord Tavistock had some business to talk over and Mummy’s going to show Lady Tavistock around the house,’ Alice-Miranda replied.

  ‘Well, I hope no one’s expecting me to be sociable. I’m exhausted. I was hoping for dinner in front of the telly and time to watch a movie.’ Charlotte smiled. ‘Although, knowing me, I’ll be asleep before the first ad break.’

  The girls and Charlotte made their way down to the kitchen, where Cecelia and Hugh were holding court with Anthony and Jemima Tavistock.

  ‘Charlotte, darling, come and meet Jemima,’ Cecelia said.

  ‘Hello.’ Charlotte offered her hand. She looked into Jemima’s eyes and for a moment was completely taken in.

  ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you,’ Jemima replied.

  Charlotte finally found her voice. ‘Your eyes are the most extraordinary colour.’

  ‘Aren’t they just?’ Anthony said, giving Charlotte a kiss on either cheek.

  ‘Mesmerising,’ Charlotte agreed, lost in her thoughts.

  ‘We might leave you ladies to it,’ Hugh said, as he and Anthony headed off to the study.

  Cecelia turned to Jemima. ‘Are you still up for a tour?’

  The woman nodded, although she didn’t look particularly excited at the prospect.

  ‘Would you like me to whip up something for dinner?’ Charlotte asked.

  ‘No need – there’s soup on the stove. It’s a bit of a help yourself affair tonight, I’m afraid,’ Cecelia said. ‘Perhaps you can take something down to Dolly. She was supposed to have today off, but the cheeky thing is downstairs working.’

  ‘Millie and I can take it,’ Alice-Miranda offered. She walked over to the sideboard to get some bowls and spotted a rather ratty toy dog. ‘Oh, this must be the toy Heinrich was talking about.’

  ‘Where did you get that?’ Jemima gasped, the colour draining from her face.

  ‘Lily found it at the farm and thought it belonged to me,’ Alice-Miranda said, passing it to the woman.

  ‘My daughter has one just like it,’ Jemima said, turning it over in her hands. ‘I suppose toys like this can’t be especially rare. Chessie never goes anywhere without hers. It’s a silly thing, really. His name’s Rodney.’

  ‘He’s very cute. I wonder if this fellow has a name too,’ Alice-Miranda said, as Jemima passed it back to her. She sat it on the sideboard and vowed to return it to Lily tomorrow.

  ‘Why don’t we start the tour?’ Cecelia suggested. ‘There’s quite a lot to see.’

  Mrs Shillingsworth bustled down the back stairs just as the ladies set off. ‘Goodness,’ she puffed, wiping her brow with the back of her hand.

  ‘Are you all right, Shilly?’ Alice-Miranda looked at the woman, whose face was bright red. ‘Would you like me to pour you a cool drink?’

  ‘I won’t mind if I don’t change another set of sheets for a month, I know that much.’ The woman exhaled loudly.

  Millie pulled out one of the kitchen chairs for Shilly to sit down while Alice-Miranda placed a glass of iced water on the table in front of her.

  ‘Ooh, I could get used to this,’ Mrs Shillingsworth said gratefully. ‘Thank you, dears.’

  But the second she’d begun to relax, Mrs Greening’s voice floated through the back door.

  ‘Hello,’ the woman called, walking inside. She was carrying two large cake boxes.

  Alice-Miranda hurried to help her. ‘Have you made more treats for us? We’ll be looking like whales by the end of the week.’

  ‘Yes, I have, but I think Betsy must have got to the chicken-and-leek pie I made this afternoon. It was the strangest thing. I set it down on the windowsill to cool and when I came back it was gone. She doesn’t usually steal food. That dog is the best fed creature around here. I even smelt her breath and it didn’t tell me anything other than she needs her teeth cleaned.’ The woman shook her head.

  Millie pulled a face.

  ‘That’s not like Betsy at all,’ Shilly said, frowning.

  ‘You’re right,’ Charlotte agreed.
‘She’s got better manners than the twins, especially when it comes to food.’

  ‘Never mind, I still have a heaven cake and a devil’s food cake too – at least they didn’t disappear.’ Mrs Shillingsworth unpacked the desserts and placed them under two free domes on the bench.

  ‘Yum!’ Alice-Miranda licked her lips. ‘My favourites.’

  Harold Greening appeared at the back door.

  ‘Hello Mr Greening,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘How are you?’

  ‘I could do with a good night’s sleep, because, quite frankly, I think I’m losing my marbles,’ the man said, scratching his head.

  ‘Why do you say that?’ Millie asked.

  ‘Well, today I’ve managed to misplace a bucket, a tarpaulin and the old rug I keep inside the utility so Betsy doesn’t drop hairs all over the place,’ he replied.

  ‘You have been terribly busy,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘I’m sure they’ll turn up somewhere.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ the man replied. ‘Perhaps one of the young fellows from the village who’s been helping with all the extra jobs moved things.’

  ‘Never mind, Harold. Let’s just get home, shall we? I’ll fix you up a nice cup of tea.’ Mrs Greening gave a wave and walked out the back door. ‘See you all tomorrow.’

  ‘Bye,’ the others chorused.

  Charlotte filled a soup bowl for Mrs Oliver and organised some warm bread and salted butter as well. ‘Girls, are you sure you wouldn’t like me to take that downstairs?’ she asked, setting it on a tray.

  ‘No, I’m fine,’ Millie said. ‘Besides, I promised my mother I’d make myself useful.’

  Charlotte smiled as Alice-Miranda opened the back door, and she and Millie ventured onto the veranda.

  Millie met Mrs Oliver at the bottom of the stairs just inside the lab.

  ‘Thank you so much, darling girl,’ the woman said, taking the tray from her. ‘I’m famished.’

  ‘I bet you’re not eating any of that,’ Millie said, eyeing the array of Kennington’s products lined up on the benches.

  The woman grinned. ‘Too right I’m not.’

  Meanwhile, Alice-Miranda was waiting on the veranda when she heard a noise out in the garden. It sounded like footsteps and she turned around to see if there was anyone there.