Alice-Miranda Shines Bright 8 Read online

  He turned it over.

  The colour drained from Silas’s face. Now he knew why he’d recalled her name so easily.

  ‘Is something the matter?’ Finley Spencer was taking great delight in watching him squirm.

  ‘I feel like a bit of a twit now.’ Silas picked up his teacup and downed the dregs.

  ‘You weren’t to know,’ Finley smiled.

  ‘Yes, but of course I did. I’ve heard your name, but I suppose I just thought you were a man.’ Silas laughed nervously. The hole he’d dug was only getting deeper.

  ‘An easy mistake, Silas,’ she cooed.

  ‘So, how can I help you, Ms Spencer?’ Silas said again. He was eager to move on.

  ‘There’s some land we’re interested in and I’m having a hard time contacting the owner. I thought someone of your standing might be able to assist.’ Finley batted her eyelashes as she spoke.

  Silas soon forgot his faux pas. ‘Of course, Ms Spencer, I’ll do whatever I can.’

  ‘And you know, Silas, people are well rewarded in my industry.’ She stood up, her smile plastered in place.

  ‘Surely you’re not leaving yet?’ said Silas.

  ‘I’m afraid so. I think I can hear my ride now.’ She began to walk towards the door.

  Silas tried to block her path. ‘But you haven’t even told me where this land is. I need some details, Ms Spencer.’

  ‘It’s all right.’ She reached into her bag and handed him a small envelope. ‘Everything you need to know is in here. I trust that you’re a confidential sort of man.’

  Finley Spencer shook Silas’s hand, lingering just a little longer than she really wanted to.

  Silas Wiley’s head nodded up and down as if it were on a spring. His legs felt like jelly. He watched her leave and ran to the window, where a giant gold helicopter had just set down on the front lawn. It had already drawn a curious crowd from inside the council chambers as well as some of the local townsfolk.

  Silas watched as Finley Spencer strode across the lawn, bending forward as she neared the rotors. A man opened the back door and she disappeared inside. There was a loud whumping sound as the chopper hovered and then disappeared over the top of the building.

  Ursula appeared at the door. ‘Can I take the tray?’

  ‘You didn’t tell me Finley Spencer was a woman,’ Silas snapped as he turned around.

  ‘That’s what I was trying to say earlier.’ Ursula went to pick up the plate of biscuits.

  ‘Bring those here,’ Silas ordered.

  ‘Will Ms Spencer be seeing you again?’ Ursula asked.

  Silas’s chest puffed out. ‘Most definitely. She has given me a very important task.’

  Ursula bit back a smile. ‘What is it?’

  ‘Highly confidential,’ Silas replied.

  ‘I’ll leave you to your work then.’

  Ursula stacked the tray with the dirty teacups and exited the room. She wondered how long she’d last working for Silas.

  Silas sat at his desk and nibbled at a chocolate biscuit. He took Finley’s card from his jacket pocket and turned it over.

  Finley Spencer

  Chief Operating Officer

  Spencer Industries

  ‘One of the richest women in the country needs my help,’ Silas said aloud. He’d heard some grim stories about Spencer Industries but clearly they weren’t true. Finley was the most charming and beautiful woman he’d ever met and she was using the proper pathways to undertake her business activities. Silas shovelled another biscuit down and picked up the letter.

  ‘Now what exactly can I do for you, Ms Spencer?’

  Alice-Miranda was up early on Saturday morning. She wanted to telephone her mother and father before breakfast, as she knew they were heading away on business later in the day.

  Grimthorpe House was still silent when she tiptoed down the hallway to the back sitting room and picked up the telephone.

  ‘Hello Mummy,’ she said when her mother answered the call.

  ‘Hello darling,’ her mother replied. ‘You’re up bright and early.’

  ‘I wanted to catch you before you left. How’s everyone at home?’

  ‘All well here. How are the girls?’ Cecelia asked.

  ‘Millie and Sloane are good but Jacinta is acting very strangely. I thought she was upset about missing the gymnastics championships but it seems to be more than that. She’s cross with everyone and she won’t say what’s bothering her,’ said Alice-Miranda. ‘I’m so worried.’

  ‘How old is Jacinta?’ her mother enquired.

  ‘She’ll be twelve soon. Just before school finishes.’

  ‘Sweetheart, don’t be too anxious. Sometimes when girls get a little older, they feel a bit mixed up inside. Jacinta’s growing up and she’s just getting to know who she is,’ Cecelia Highton-Smith explained.

  ‘Of course, Mummy, that’s it. Granny once told me that I should never grow up because teenagers are the closest thing to crocodiles with a toothache she’d ever come across.’

  Cecelia frowned. ‘I think your grandmother was exaggerating a little bit. And who was she talking about, anyway? I hope it wasn’t me and Cha!’

  ‘One of Aunty Gee’s granddaughters,’ Alice-Miranda replied.

  ‘Oh,’ her mother laughed. ‘Yes, Freddy’s daughters could give the best tantrum throwers a run for their money. I heard about one episode where the girl spent a whole day screaming until her voice was gone and then she didn’t speak to anyone for a month. But I’m sure that Jacinta will be nothing like that. Just be a good friend and let her know you’re there for her if she wants you.’

  Alice-Miranda nodded to herself. ‘That sounds like the best idea.’

  ‘What are you doing today?’ her mother asked.

  ‘Yesterday afternoon we had the first auditions for the Summer Spectacular and they’re continuing this morning. Millie and I might go riding after that and then we’re going to Wisteria Cottage to have a pizza dinner with Jacinta and Sloane and Mrs Headlington-Bear.’

  ‘Oh, that’s lovely. Give my regards to Ambrosia. And hopefully your dinner will cheer Jacinta up a bit. Please give her and the girls my love. I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I have to get moving.’

  ‘Will you see Aunt Charlotte in New York?’ Alice-Miranda asked.

  ‘Yes, I think so,’ her mother replied.

  ‘Give her and her tummy a big hug from me. I can’t wait until the babies come,’ Alice-Miranda exclaimed. Her favourite aunt was pregnant with twins. ‘And if you see Uncle Lawrence and Uncle Xavier give them hugs too.’

  ‘I will. Have a good day.’ Cecelia made kissing noises into the phone and then gave a little hiccup.

  ‘Mummy,’ Alice-Miranda said with a sigh. ‘Please tell me you’re not crying.’

  ‘Oh, of course not, darling,’ her mother said hastily.

  ‘I’ve been away at school for nearly a year now and you know that I am absolutely fine and there is no need for you to be upset every time we talk on the telephone.’

  ‘I know that, but I still miss you so much,’ said her mother.

  ‘I’ll be home for a long holiday very soon – and by the end I’m sure you won’t be able to get rid of me quickly enough,’ Alice-Miranda teased.

  ‘You’re wrong about that, young lady. Anyway, have a lovely day. Daddy and I will speak to you next week.’

  ‘Bye Mummy. Lots of love to you and Daddy and everyone at home.’ And with that Alice-Miranda hung up the phone.

  She hadn’t heard Jacinta come into the room. The girl had been standing in the corner listening for quite some time.

  ‘Why were you talking about me?’ Jacinta demanded.

  Alice-Miranda spun around. ‘Oh Jacinta, I didn’t know you were there.’

  ‘So that makes it all right to talk about me behind my ba
ck?’ Jacinta narrowed her eyes.

  ‘I was just telling Mummy I was worried about you,’ Alice-Miranda said.

  ‘Well, don’t bother. Soon I’ll be gone and you can be besties with Sloane and Millie, and you’ll forget all about me.’

  ‘We won’t do that,’ said Alice-Miranda, frowning. ‘Is that what you’re upset about?’

  ‘No, I couldn’t care less. I’ll make new friends.’

  ‘Of course you will, but we’ll miss you and we’ll still see you as often as we can,’ Alice-Miranda reassured her.

  Jacinta eyeballed the other girl. ‘I doubt it.’

  ‘But now your mother lives in the village, you can come home at the weekends.’ Alice-Miranda was hoping to find the right words to make Jacinta feel better.

  ‘Yes, but we all know that won’t last,’ Jacinta huffed.

  ‘I’ll talk to her this afternoon,’ Alice-Miranda offered.

  ‘Don’t you dare. It’s none of your business.’

  ‘I wish you’d tell me what’s wrong.’ Alice-Miranda walked towards Jacinta and placed a hand on her shoulder.

  Jacinta’s face fell.

  ‘Come on.’ Alice-Miranda led her to the couch. Jacinta sat down with Alice-Miranda beside her. ‘Mummy says that sometimes girls feel funny when they’re growing up,’ said Alice-Miranda. She put her arm around Jacinta’s shoulder.

  Jacinta stood up suddenly, as if Alice-Miranda’s hand was charged with electricity.

  ‘Well, that’s not it! Just leave me alone. You and your stupid mother don’t know everything.’

  For the first time in a long time, Alice-Miranda had absolutely no idea what to do next. She decided to talk to Miss Grimm. Maybe she could help.

  Myrtle Parker opened the car boot and gathered up her grocery bags. She walked up the front steps and put her key in the door, pausing for a moment to admire her newly renovated front garden. It had always been Reginald’s domain, but ever since his accident, things had got out of hand. Myrtle had despaired at the waist-high weeds and stinging nettles that lurked among her flowerbeds. When Ambrosia Headlington-Bear had moved in across the road, she did wonders on her own garden. So when she offered to help Myrtle get things in order, it seemed impolite not to accept.

  Ambrosia was a surprisingly efficient worker and Myrtle excelled at supervision so they made a fabulous team. If only Reginald could see what she’d achieved, Myrtle was sure he’d be very proud.

  ‘Reginald,’ Myrtle called as she shuffled down the hallway. ‘I’m home. I wish you could see the garden. The roses are blooming and the lawn looks like a bowling green but the gutters will need painting again soon. Oh, and I saw Evelyn Pepper at the store. She seems to have made a full recovery and I think she and Dick Wigglesworth are planning a trip abroad. Can you imagine? I wonder what Her Majesty will think about that?’

  Myrtle had never been overseas. When she and Reginald were younger they didn’t have the time or money and now, well, it simply wasn’t possible. Deep down she had always harboured a dream to have a holiday in Tuscany. Myrtle shook the thought from her mind.

  She went straight to the kitchen and unpacked her groceries, lining the tins up in the cupboards like an army of metal soldiers. Then she set about making a pot of tea. No doubt Raylene would have a cup – Reginald’s nurse didn’t seem to be capable of making her own but she was never one to turn down an offer.

  ‘Oh, and Reginald, we’ve been invited to Ambrosia’s for Sunday lunch but of course I’ll give your apologies, won’t I?’

  Myrtle poured milk into her cup and did the same for Raylene.

  ‘Tea’s ready,’ she called. Myrtle sat at the small round table at the end of the kitchen. After a couple of minutes, she called out again. Myrtle wondered if the woman was deaf. Despite her earlier misgivings, Raylene had proven herself the most reliable nurse Reginald had had to date. She’d lasted several months too, which Myrtle was thankful for. The endless stream of interviews for new nurses had grown tiresome.

  Myrtle set her teacup onto the saucer with a thud. She stood up and exhaled loudly. ‘Good grief, woman, your tea’s going to be stone-cold. I suppose you’d like me to bring it in for you?’

  She slid back the glass door that led into the front sitting room. ‘Raylene!’ she called tersely, but the woman wasn’t there. Her latest knitting project sat abandoned on the sofa and her handbag, which was usually glued to her side, was missing too.

  Myrtle walked further into the room, wondering if Raylene had fallen asleep on the reclining chair in the corner again.

  ‘Honestly, Reginald, I told her that I was popping out to the shop and she knows better than to leave you alone,’ Myrtle fussed. She turned around and was about to continue upbraiding the nurse when she stopped in her tracks.

  ‘Reginald?’ Myrtle’s voice fluttered like a paper bag in a windstorm and she gulped loudly. ‘Reginald, where are you?’

  Myrtle Parker stared at the hospital bed that took up most of the sitting room. It was empty. The machines that usually blipped and blinked stood silent. She caught sight of Newton, her treasured garden gnome, staring at her from the mantelpiece.

  A wave of nausea engulfed her and Myrtle reached out to steady herself on the side of the bed.

  ‘Well, where is he?’ she demanded of her little concrete friend. But of course, if Newton knew anything, he wasn’t telling.

  Myrtle stood still for a few moments before taking off as fast as her legs could carry her; down the hallway, opening and closing bedroom doors, and calling out her husband’s name. He was nowhere to be seen. She ran to the front door and down the steps to the driveway.

  ‘Reginald! Reginald Parker, where are you?’ she called. Her face drained of colour and she felt as giddy as a six-year-old on a carousel.

  At the other end of Rosebud Lane, Alice-Miranda, Millie, Jacinta and Sloane were on their way to Wisteria Cottage to see Jacinta’s mother when they spied Mrs Parker. Alice-Miranda hadn’t even been sure that Jacinta still wanted her friends to go along, after their upset that morning. But when she’d asked, Jacinta had said of course she did, as if nothing had happened at all.

  ‘Oh, no,’ Millie groaned. ‘I was hoping we’d get to the house without running into Nosey. She’s bound to have a whole list of jobs that need doing – and of course she won’t be afraid to ask.’

  ‘Millie, please don’t call her that. Mrs Parker’s perfectly lovely; she’s just lonely,’ Alice-Miranda said.

  ‘Seriously, Alice-Miranda, she’s the biggest busy­body in the whole village,’ Millie scoffed. ‘I don’t know why you can’t see that.’

  ‘Whatever she asks, just say no,’ said Sloane. ‘She can’t make us do anything.’

  ‘Really? You obviously don’t know her as well as Millie does,’ Jacinta added. ‘Mrs Parker got my mother – the woman who, up until a few months ago, wouldn’t even touch dirt, let alone dig in it – to give her garden a full makeover. I’m pretty sure Mrs Parker could get Queen Georgiana to do her washing up if she put her mind to it.’

  Millie giggled. She’d just seen a glimpse of their true friend making her way out of that grumpy impostor’s body.

  Jacinta grinned too.

  Myrtle Parker momentarily regained her balance before stumbling down the drive into the middle of the lane, her arms flailing about like a windmill.

  ‘I think something’s wrong,’ Alice-Miranda said. She ran towards the old woman.

  The other girls hung back for a moment but when Mrs Parker fell to her knees, they raced after their friend.

  ‘Mrs Parker, whatever’s the matter?’ asked Alice-Miranda.

  The old woman’s face was wet with tears. Alice-Miranda fished about in her pocket before handing over a tissue.

  ‘Mrs Parker?’ the girl tried again. ‘Has something happened to Mr Parker?’

  Myrtle nodded slowly and to
ok in a deep breath.

  The other girls reached the scene. ‘It’s Mr Parker,’ Alice-Miranda explained. ‘Millie, run inside and call an ambulance.’

  Mrs Parker shook her head. ‘No!’ she said sharply. ‘He’s gone.’

  Alice-Miranda felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. They were too late. She’d loved reading to Mr Parker each week; he was a terribly good listener and a few times she could have sworn that his mouth almost twitched into a smile. Once, she even thought he’d giggled.

  Sloane said what the other girls were thinking. ‘So, he’s dead?’

  ‘Heavens, no.’ Mrs Parker glared at Sloane, her lips pursed as if she’d sucked a lemon.

  Millie was confused. ‘So, he’s not dead?’

  ‘I really wouldn’t know,’ the old woman huffed.

  The girls exchanged puzzled looks.

  ‘I’m sorry, Mrs Parker, but I don’t understand,’ said Alice-Miranda as she helped the woman to her feet.

  ‘Why don’t you know if he’s dead?’ asked Sloane. ‘Is he breathing?’

  ‘I wouldn’t know because . . . because he’s gone.’ Myrtle dissolved into shuddery sobs.

  ‘Gone where?’ Millie wondered when he had woken up. Everyone knew that Reginald Parker had been asleep on a hospital bed in the middle of the Parkers’ sitting room for the past three years. He’d fallen off the roof while cleaning the gutters, broken a leg and a taken a nasty bump on the head. It had looked as if he’d make a full recovery but every day, when Mrs Parker visited the hospital and presented him with an increasing list of jobs to get done, he seemed to grow more and more exhausted. One day he fell asleep and never woke up.

  Mrs Parker found it all a dreadful inconvenience. Her afternoon tea parties were ruined by having to converse with her friends over the mound of bedclothes. Nevertheless, Mr Parker had the best of care and everyone hoped that one day he would finally awake.

  Myrtle scowled at Millie. ‘If I knew where he was, I’d go and get him, wouldn’t I? It’s just like him to wake up and head straight out for a walk. Couldn’t wait to leave, I’m sure – and I have so many jobs for him. Selfish man.’