‘I can’t wait that long. I suppose I could get a cab to the station really early tomorrow morning,’ said Lizzie. ‘Or maybe walk? I don’t want to disturb the household.’
‘But why do you feel you have to leave?’ asked Meg. ‘I know Sir Jasper has been vile and Electra is a statue that moves and breathes but has no heart, but Vanessa invited you. You have a right to be here.’
‘I know. But I think I may have completely messed up Hugo’s life – or at least his engagement plans.I don’t want to witness that, and also, I know they’d all blame me for it.’
‘No one need know he rescued you—’ Alexandra began.
‘It would get out. Things like this are bound to,’ said Lizzie.
‘I agree with Lizzie,’ said Meg. ‘Electra will hunt out the truth like a truffle hound.’
‘You’re very imaginative with your analogies today, Meggie,’ said Alexandra.
‘She’s already been horrible to Lizzie. If she sees her, she’ll be on her—’ Meg began.
‘Like a dog on a rabbit? Something like that?’ suggested Alexandra.
‘Yes!’ said Lizzie. ‘I can’t stay!’
‘OK,’ said Alexandra after a few seconds’ thought. ‘I’ll drive us back to London.’
There was a moment’s shocked silence. ‘Couldn’t we just take a train?’ said Lizzie.
‘It’s Sunday and it’s after midnight,’ Alexandra explained. ‘There’s a timetable pinned up in the kitchen: I looked at it and there isn’t a train until late in the afternoon. And we can’t ring David to come and get us because I know he’s out tonight. There’s no other solution.’ She paused. ‘I’ve been thinking about this. I guessed Lizzie would want to get away from here as soon as possible.’
‘But how on earth are you going to drive us?’ Lizzie asked. Alexandra seemed to have all the answers at the moment, she thought.
‘We’ll borrow a car. I’ll take you home, and then drive it back. I’ll get David to follow me in the Citroën. If we leave early, we’ll have the car back by breakfast. No one will know.’ Alexandra regarded her friends with satisfaction at having solved the problem.
‘Can you drive?’ asked Meg.
‘Yes. I haven’t actually taken a driving test but my driving’s OK. And if we go really early, there won’t be much traffic. Hardly any, in fact. It’ll be easy.’
‘Who can we borrow a car from?’ asked Meg. ‘I mean, we want to be discreet about this. Going round asking people we don’t really know if we can borrow their car is going to draw a lot of attention to our mission.’
‘And they’re not going to say yes, anyway,’ put in Lizzie. ‘People are funny about their cars – they won’t lend them. I remember suggesting to Daddy that I had driving lessons and practised on his car. He had a nasty turn and had to be given a large G and T to calm him down.’
Alexandra didn’t reply immediately. She brushed the crumbs off her skirt. ‘I wasn’t going to ask.’
‘What do you mean?’ said Meg.
‘I was going to borrow the car and put it back so no one would know. Like when you borrow a bit of face cream or something. Or a hairbrush – you just use it and put it back.’
‘A car is a bit different,’ said Lizzie. ‘No one would notice a bit of face cream but they would notice if their car was missing.’
‘The thing is, they won’t notice,’ Alexandra said. ‘Why would they be looking at their cars? They’re here for the weekend. They won’t think about their cars until it’s time to go home.’
‘Unless they want to go out and get a paper or something,’ Meg said.
‘But they won’t! All the papers – far more papers than anyone wants – will be delivered here. This plan is fool-proof, I’m telling you.’
‘But cars have keys! How will you get them?’ Meg wasn’t at all happy with Alexandra’s mad idea.
‘A lot of people will leave the keys in the ignition,’ Alexandra explained. ‘Why not? Who is going to steal their car, here?’
‘Well, you, obviously,’ said Lizzie, poking Alexandra.
‘But they don’t know that, do they?’ Alexandra wasn’t going to be talked out of her plan. ‘And if by any chance we can’t find a car with the keys in it, I’ll hot-wire it.’
