Maybe he should remain freelance. He had made a name for himself now and it would be easier to get work and he liked being his own boss. Not for one minute had he missed the claustrophobic atmosphere of life on the local rag. Still, he didn’t have to make his mind up today. He and Flora were going to enjoy themselves. A trip to Madame Tussauds, lunch at Planet Hollywood and a quick tour on a London bus before camping out at The Monument. That was the plan – until his phone rang.
‘Tom Mackenzie.’
‘Hello, Mr Mackenzie, I’m ringing from City Beat. Would you be available for a radio interview today?’
He looked down at Flora who was poring over a tourist guide and looking very excited.
‘As long as it doesn’t take too long,’ he said, watching their day together slowly ebbing away before his very eyes.
Chapter Forty-Four
It was three hundred and eleven steps to the top of The Monument and Molly was thankful that Jo had come with her. She’d never have made it up to the top on her own with Fizz and her huge rucksack full of money and gerbera in tow. As it was, they had to keep resting, making sure they stopped at the tiny slit windows under the pretence that they were admiring the view of St Paul’s Cathedral and not because they were so unfit.
But, finally, they reached the top, and what a view greeted them. London was painted in the pearly blues and soft whites of summer. The River Thames winked gently as it stretched its way under Tower Bridge; and Canary Wharf, the Millennium Wheel, church spires, offices, cranes, cars, buses and boats all jostled for attention.
‘Wow!’ Jo yelled. ‘This is brilliant! You’re so clever, Molly! I can’t believe you’ve done this.’
‘Neither can I!’ Molly said, gazing down at the ground, which was a dizzying distance below. She’d booked the whole place, making a one-off payment, and telling them that she was filming something. Luckily, no questions had been asked. The custodian obviously hadn’t seen a copy of Vive!.
‘There may be a few dozen extras showing up around seven o’clock,’ she’d said quickly. ‘But they’ll be remaining outside.’ The man had just nodded and taken her cash. In fact, she was surprised that there wasn’t anyone around when they’d turned up, but they had got there incredibly early.
‘I just hope we don’t need the toilet,’ Molly giggled. ‘We’ve got a long wait.’
‘At least it’s warm up here.’
Molly nodded. ‘Warm and still,’ she said, thinking of the disaster they might have had on their hands had it been windy.
Jo pulled out a couple of cushions she’d been carrying in her rucksack. They’d bought them that morning and now sat down and opened a couple of packs of sandwiches.
‘This is the weirdest holiday I’ve ever had,’ Jo said through a mouthful of lettuce and tomato.
‘Me too!’ Molly agreed. ‘And I can’t believe it’s nearly over.’
Jo stared at Molly. ‘What will you do?’
Molly pulled Fizz towards her and gave him a hug. ‘Go home, I guess. But it’s going to be so strange.’
‘What about Tom?’ Jo said suddenly. ‘Aren’t you going to see him? Oh, you’ve got to see him, Molly!’
Molly looked thoughtful for a moment, as if she was still trying to work that one out.
Jo grinned. ‘It would be a shame not to see him after all this, don’t you think? Anyway, I’m sure he’ll find you. He’s probably somewhere down there right now.’
‘Yes,’ Molly said, not daring to peep over the railings to find out. ‘I have a feeling he is.’
Tom and Flora arrived at The Monument at half past six. Tom had hoped to get there earlier but, after the City Beat interview, he’d been waylaid by a few other phone calls which had cut into his day with Flora.
‘Good heavens!’ he said as he saw the number of people jostling round The Monument. ‘Don’t let go of my hand,’ he told Flora. ‘I don’t want a repeat of the British Museum here.’
‘Do you think she’s there?’ Flora asked, peering high into the sky.
‘Must be,’ Tom said. ‘If she arrived now, she’d have a bit of a fight to get through this crowd.’ Tom craned his head and gazed up at the golden flame on the top of The Monument, which was shining as if it really was fire. This is where it all began: the Great Fire of London. And this was where Molly’s journey was going to end. So where was she? Tom thought about trying to blag his way into the building but he knew his story would be at ground level. Anyway, he wanted to know what it would feel like to be one of Molly’s people.
‘Do you think she’s scared of heights?’ Flora asked.
‘I’d hope not,’ Tom said. ‘It’s an awful long way up.’
‘I wish I could see her,’ Flora said.
‘Yes,’ Tom said. ‘Me too.’
When Carolyn finally reached The Monument, she gasped. How on earth was she meant to find Marty in this crowd? Checking her watch, she saw that it was ten to seven. Marty was bound to be here, but where?
‘Marty?’ she called. ‘Marty!’ A few heads turned to look at her for a second.
She hadn’t made it back to the hotel in time to meet up with the Bailey men and it was going to be impossible to find them now.
‘Damn!’ she said, pulling out her mobile phone and tapping Marty’s number into it. ‘Marty? It’s Caro. Where are you? What? Oh! Yes, I can see that. OK. Don’t move. I’m on my way!’ She pushed her way through the crowd to find Marty. It was time he knew the truth.
‘Well?’ Jo said. ‘By my watch, it’s time to stick your head over the parapet!’
Molly nodded but didn’t say anything immediately.
‘What’s wrong?’ Jo asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Molly said. ‘I’m suddenly rather nervous.’
Jo flashed a big grin and bent forward to give Molly a hug. ‘This,’ she said, ‘is going to be brilliant.’
‘Brilliant’s rather scary, though, isn’t it?’
‘Of course! Everything worth having, and everything worth doing, usually scares the shit out of us!’
Molly smiled and suddenly they were both laughing.
‘Come on, then!’ Molly said, standing up and opening her rucksack. ‘Let’s give the crowds what they came for.’
‘It’s her!’ somebody shouted in front of Carolyn, and a huge roar went up, rippling and growing through the crowd until Carolyn’s ears trembled. She could see Marty now. He was only six or seven rows ahead of her.
‘Marty!’ she yelled. ‘Marty!’ Carolyn was pushed forward and crashed into his back.
‘Caro! Where have you been? We’ve been so worried.’
‘Where’s Magnus and Granddad?’
‘I managed to persuade them not to come. But why didn’t you meet us?’ he asked.
Before she could answer him, a great whoop sounded from the crowd. Carolyn looked up to the skies and saw a shower of money and sun-yellow gerbera raining down on them like confetti at a wedding.
‘Where is she? Can you see her?’ Carolyn asked, gazing up at The Monument, but they were almost at its base and couldn’t see Molly from their vantage point.
‘Jesus!’ Marty intoned. ‘They’re – they’re – ten-pound notes! Look! And fifties too!’
Carolyn watched in despair as Marty leapt into the air, arms flailing as he attempted to catch as many of the falling notes as he could. But Molly had it sussed. She was moving round the enclosed balcony like a clockwork figure, making sure that everyone got a fair crack at catching something.
‘Help me, Caro!’ Marty shouted in exasperation, pushing the people in front of him as the money fell from the top of The Monument. ‘Help me! We’ve got to get as much as we can!’
‘Marty!’ Carolyn shouted, but he didn’t seem to hear. ‘Marty! Stop! Stop!’
Marty stopped, a solitary ten-pound note in his hand.
‘It’s no use,’ Carolyn said, her voice quiet and subdued.
‘But we’ve got to try – for God’s sake – look at all this money – wast
ed!’
‘But it isn’t wasted. Don’t you get that? Just look at the joy on these people’s faces. Molly knows exactly what she’s doing.’
There was something in Carolyn’s voice that seemed to get through to Marty at last. She could see the change in his expression. First, he turned round to look at the crowd, watching their faces: each and every one filled with happiness. He looked up at The Monument. And then, he turned to look at Carolyn.
‘Don’t you see?’ she asked. ‘Just leave it.’ Carolyn felt tears welling up in her eyes and, for the first time in a long while, she didn’t bother to try and hide them from Marty.
‘Caro? I’m sorry,’ he said, stepping forward and placing his arms round her. ‘I’m sorry. What can I say?’
Carolyn pulled away. Had she heard him right? Or was he simply caught up in the madness of the moment? Was he just agreeing with her to stop her from causing a scene?
‘What can I say?’ he repeated, leaning forward and kissing her forehead.
‘You can say that you’re never going to behave like this again. That you’re going to stop making life miserable by counting every penny and scrimping and saving. That you’re going to start having a bit of fun and enjoying what we work so hard to earn,’ she finished, sniffing loudly and grabbing a crumpled tissue from out of her handbag.
‘Is that all?’ he asked, making a stab at humour.
‘No,’ Carolyn said. ‘I want you to promise that we can have a decent holiday with the money Molly’s given us.’
Marty’s forehead crinkled. ‘You mean Molly’s given us a cut of her winnings?’
Carolyn nodded. ‘Don’t go getting excited. It’s enough to pay off the mortgage and a bit more, but it’s not millions.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ Marty asked, his eyes stretched in surprise.
‘Because I wasn’t sure how you’d react, and I wanted you to realise that there’s more to life – more to our relationship – than money, because it’s not going to be just us two for much longer.’
Marty’s mouth fell open. Despite the noise of the crowd, he’d heard Carolyn’s words as if she’d shouted them through a loudspeaker.
‘You mean you’re pregnant? You’re going to have a baby?’
‘We’re going to have a baby,’ Carolyn corrected.
‘Oh my God! How long have you known? When’s it due? Why didn’t you tell me?’ His words fell out of his mouth like broken teeth and Carolyn couldn’t help but smile.
‘I’ve not known long. It’s due in February, and I didn’t tell you because you’ve been so wrapped up in Molly.’
‘But that’s why I’ve been wrapped up!’
‘What do you mean?’
‘That’s why I’ve been scrimping and saving and worrying – because we want a family! God almighty, Caro, didn’t you realise? I worry! I worry about the future, of us all having enough – I worry about—’
‘But there’s no need! We’ll manage! We always have, haven’t we?’
‘I know,’ Marty admitted, ‘but, when the time came, I didn’t want you to scrimp. I want you to have everything you need – no cutting the corners for once. I just want to be sure we’re all all right.’ He took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. ‘I know I’ve not been the easiest of people to live with and I know I’ve made things tough on you, but it was only so that we’d have enough for when this happened.’
Carolyn wiped her eyes, blew her nose again, and smiled. ‘You know what I’ve always wanted—’ She stopped. She wasn’t used to starting a sentence in front of Marty with those words.
‘What? Tell me? Name it and it’s yours!’
‘Well, it’s rather girly and silly, I know, but I’ve always wanted one of those big old-fashioned prams. You know – the ones with the big hood and silver handles.’ She looked at Marty. Was it her imagination or had he turned slightly green around the gills?
‘It’s yours!’
‘Really?’
‘Yes.’
‘Oh, Marty! I’m so excited!’
‘Anything else? You can have anything you want for this baby. Just as long as it isn’t twins. We’ll have to go easy on the spending if it’s twins.’
Carolyn grinned as a shade of old Marty peeped through. He’d never change completely, she thought, but at least he was moving in the right direction.
‘Caro!’ he said, his eyes suddenly very wide.
‘What?’
‘You’ve had your hair cut!’
‘I know!’ Carolyn’s hand flew up to her head. ‘Do you like it?’ she asked anxiously.
‘It’s – it’s so short!’ he stammered, momentarily lost for words. ‘It’s amazing! You should have done it years ago.’
Carolyn rolled her eyes but said nothing. She’d won, and that was enough.
‘Blimey!’ Jo cried. ‘That’s the lot. It’s all gone.’
Molly peered into the enormous rucksack and saw that Jo was right.
‘What do we do now?’ Jo asked.
‘Face the crowd, I guess!’
‘What if they want more?’ Jo asked, suddenly nervous.
‘There’s no more where that came from,’ Molly said. ‘They’ve had the lot.’
‘Well, I’m ready if you are,’ Jo said, fastening up the rucksack and flinging it over her shoulder.
With Fizz in her arms, Molly and Jo almost flew down the three hundred and eleven steps. As they reached the bottom, the ticket officer turned round and glared at her. ‘Is this something to do with this film of yours?’ he asked, his face pale and suspicious.
‘That’s right!’ Molly trilled, just a little out of breath.
‘Rather a lot of extras if you ask me. Must’ve cost a fortune!’
‘A fair bit,’ Molly said, ‘but worth every penny.’
One after the other, Molly and Jo pushed through the turnstile and walked out into the crowd.
‘There she is!’ someone yelled.
‘Molleeeee!’
‘Where’s the rest, Molly?’ a lady shouted.
‘Yeah! Got any more?’
‘It’s all gone!’ Molly shouted back, shaking her empty rucksack at them in case they doubted her.
‘Molly!’ A wild, banshee scream filled her ears as a woman pushed through the crowd. Molly stood stock-still.
‘Molly!’ the woman cried again, flinging her arms around her neck and smothering her in hot kisses. ‘You’re a saint. I love you!’ the mad woman cried, strangling Molly with a passion until she felt sure she’d drown in affection. Molly coughed loudly and the woman released her grip, edging back as far as the crowd would let her. ‘This country needs more people like you, Molly. It really does!’
‘Give us a kiss, Moll!’ a red-faced man in a pink-striped shirt shouted.
‘Molly – over here!’ a curly-haired pensioner shouted.
Cameras flashed at her, hands slapped her back. There was even a man selling ‘Molly Makes the World Go Round’ T-shirts. It was brilliant!
‘Three cheers for Molly Bailey!’ someone shouted from the sea of heads.
‘Hip-hip.’
‘Hooray!’
‘Hip-hip.’
‘Hooray!’
‘Hip-hip.’
‘Hooooraaaay!’
It was all so overwhelming. Molly felt tears pricking the back of her eyes as she scoured the faces of the crowd. Everybody seemed to be looking at her, waiting to see what she would do next. Indeed, Molly wasn’t quite sure herself. She hadn’t thought that far ahead.
She looked at a few of the faces nearby but there weren’t any answers there. And then, something strange happened. It was as if the crowds suddenly parted, or a shaft of sunlight picked her out, because Molly saw her almost instantly. She’d been there all along. Molly hadn’t dared to expect her but, in her heart of hearts, there’d been a tiny seed of hope.
Her hair, as silver as if it had been kissed by the moon, was worn loose and long. Her large chocolate eyes, a perfect mirror of Mo
lly’s.
‘Molly!’ Cynthia took a hesitant step forward, her face creasing up into the largest smile Molly had ever seen, and, all of a sudden, she found a pair of arms around her.
‘I’m so proud of you,’ Cynthia said in a voice barely audible above the crowd’s excited shouting, even though her mouth was only an inch away from Molly’s ear.
Molly moved back slightly, a warm glow filling her body.
‘You’ll come and see me soon, won’t you?’ Cynthia asked.
‘Of course I will,’ Molly said.
And then Cynthia was gone.
‘Wow!’ Jo said, grabbing Molly’s shoulder from behind. ‘Was that your mum?’
Molly nodded.
‘What a perfect ending!’ Jo sighed. And she was right.
Of course, Molly was arrested. Breach of peace, they told her down at Bishopsgate police station. But she didn’t mind much. It would make great copy for Tom’s final Molly report.
Leaving the station with Fizz, she pushed her way through the small crowd of people who’d followed her.
‘What are you going to do now, Molly?’ someone asked her.
‘Yeah! Is this it, then? The end of the road for Molly’s millions?’
Molly turned around at the familiar voice and there, standing at the front of the small crowd, was a tall man with tousled hair and a cheeky grin. It was Tom Mackenzie. Their eyes locked for a moment and Molly could feel herself blushing at the intense, grey-eyed gaze that fell on her. And then she laughed.
‘I think it’s time I gave everyone a break from chasing after me. I wouldn’t want people to grow bored.’
‘Oh, I don’t think there’d be any chance of that. Besides, it hasn’t been that bad,’ Tom said, stepping forward from the crowd. ‘I haven’t minded driving the length and breadth of Britain with a child and laptop in tow.’
Molly laughed again and smiled down at Flora beside him. ‘I didn’t ask you to follow me.’
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