Meg and Lizzie looked at their friend, half impressed, half horrified. ‘How did you learn to do that?’ said Meg.
‘A friend of David’s taught me. It’s a long story. It was the same friend who taught me to drive. He used to take me to Richmond Park to practise.’
‘This is all so wrong.’ Lizzie wailed. ‘I’m a nicely brought-up girl from the Home Counties! I don’t consort with people who hot-wire cars!’
‘Do you want to leave this house or not?’ Alexandra asked tersely. ‘I’m sure you could stay in the attic, like a kidnap victim, until David collects us. It’s up to you.’
‘People would ask where you were,’ said Meg. ‘Vanessa, for instance.’
‘Did I hear my name?’ Vanessa came into the boathouse. She had a bottle of champagne in each hand.
‘How did you get out of the house with these?’ asked Alexandra, relieving her of the bottles. ‘And aren’t you supposed to be at the ball?’
‘Practice. I’ve been smuggling bottles of wine up here for years. And no one will notice if I’m not at the ball. Now what’s the plan?’ Vanessa looked at the girls excitedly. ‘Shall we get one of those bottles open and you can tell me everything?’
‘I’m not sure we should,’ said Lizzie. ‘Alexandra has a plan and it’s so awful! I mean, I think the plan would work but it involves grand larceny.’ She frowned. Her brain felt too addled to be certain of what this was, exactly.
‘Blimey!’ said Vanessa.
‘Lizzie’s exaggerating,’ said Alexandra. ‘She wants to go back to London as soon as possible. She feels she can’t stay here after all that’s happened. She feels terribly unwelcome—’
‘Although you’ve been absolutely lovely,’ said Lizzie quickly, ‘and Hugo – well – he saved my life.’
‘I knew it was something like that!’ said Vanessa, thrilled. ‘He and Electra had a massive row – or rather she did. He just stood there, dripping on to the carpet, looking noble, while she said vile things.’
‘Not in public, surely?’ asked Alexandra.
‘No. I just happened to be passing my – her – bedroom and the door was ajar. It took me rather a long time to pass, for some reason.’ Vanessa looked mischievous.
‘Are they still getting engaged, do you know? asked Meg.
Lizzie knew her friend had asked on her behalf.
‘Well, no. At least there’s been no announcement yet,’ said Vanessa. ‘Alexandra, are you opening that bottle?’
‘Got it,’ said Alexandra as the cork came out with a gentlephut.
Lizzie swallowed, wondering how much longer she would have to wait to hear the finer details of Hugo’s engagement. It seemed to take an age before the champagne was poured.
‘Does that mean there won’t be one?’ went on Meg, like the true friend she was.
‘No. Electra won’t want him to get away. She may have ripped him to shreds – not that he appeared to notice – but she won’t let him slip through her fingers. He’s a catch. Heir to all this …’ She madea gesture indicating the boathouse, which would have been funny, Lizzie thought, in different circumstances.
Vanessa took a gulp of champagne and belched delicately. ‘I imagine they’ll be announcing it any time now.’
‘Oh,’ said Lizzie.
‘So, tell me about the plan!’ said Vanessa, unaware that Lizzie’s heart was shrivelling like a splash of water on a hot frying pan.
‘Well, as Lizzie said,’ Alexandra began, ‘it is probably a bit illegal, but not immoral, which I think is more important, don’t you?’
Vanessa nodded. ‘Go on.’
‘Well—’
‘It’s my fault,’ Lizzie interrupted. ‘I nearly drowned and now all I want to do is go home.’ Nearly drowning had nothing whatever to do with why she wanted to leave but while she didn’t want to lie to Vanessa, she wanted to distract her from the thought that her departure might have anything to do with her brother. Or her father. Or her soon-to-be sister-in-law.
‘Oh my God, this is such fun!’ said Vanessa a little later, when she’d heard all the details of Alexandra’s plan. ‘I wish I could come back to London with you! But the sky would fall in so I can’t. But I can tell you which would be a good car to steal …’
