‘I don’t wear much—' Meg began.
‘You don’t need much,’ said Lizzie. ‘Just a little mascara …’
‘I really am like Cinderella,’ said Meg as they walked back across the courtyard. ‘I worked in the kitchen and now I’m transformed!’
‘Hmph,’ said Lizzie. ‘I had to do a teeny bit more than wave a wand over a couple of white mice and a pumpkin, but I am very satisfied with my efforts.’
‘And while I may be transformed, I do need to just check things are OK. Someone may have schmushed my Black Forest gateau.’
It was an excuse to see Justin in the kitchen, but, to her disappointment, he wasn’t there. When asked, Susan couldn’t say where he was and was so uninterested that Meg almost suspected her of knowing more than she admitted to.
But her gateau was still a cream- and chocolate-covered delight, and with this she had to be satisfied.
Meg was about to look for Vanessa in the attics when she appeared from the office with Louise. They were both wearing long dresses and had their hair styled.
‘I’ve left Letty with Inigo,’ said Vanessa. ‘He came up just before we were about to get ready and, like an angel, took her away. I think Letty plans to marry him.’
‘Fine by me,’ said Lizzie. ‘You both look lovely, by the way. But I must get the smallest fairy in the show into her costume.’
‘Oh, darling!’ said Louise as she caught sight of Meg. ‘You look – beautiful!’
David came down the stairs at that moment, looking very handsome and actor-like in his dinner jacket. He stopped when he saw her. ‘Meggy, you look absolutely stunning.’
Meg was blushing. ‘It’s all down to Lizzie. A lovely dress and a new haircut.’
‘And Vanessa,’ David said, turning his attention to her. ‘You look equally lovely. I do like your dress. Andthe little locket on that black velvet ribbon makes your skin look like Dorset cream!’
‘The dress is one of mine,’ said Louise. ‘But the locket is Nessa’s. I just gave her the ribbon.’
‘Golly, Ness!’ said Meg. ‘You look like a princess.’
‘You both look like princesses,’ said David. Then he held out his arms, crooked, ready to hook into the arms of his companions. ‘Ladies? Shall we process to the entertainment?’
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Inigo had reserved three seats at the end of a row for them. Meg made sure she was at the end.
‘It really is like being transported to fairyland,’ Vanessa said to David. ‘I’ve been hiding from my mother all day so haven’t seen any of this.’ She gestured to the surroundings. ‘It’s magical!’
‘The fact that it’s stopped raining and it’s a beautiful evening really does help,’ David said. ‘The rain seems to have really brought the fragrance out of the roses and the fig tree. It smells like Harrods’ cosmetic department.’
‘Far better than that,’ said Meg. ‘I can’t wait to see Letty. I know Lizzie made her a costume in about five minutes flat.’
‘Easier when you’re dealing with a very small fairy,’ said David, and then laughed.
‘I wonder where my mother is sitting,’ said Vanessa. ‘Can you look, Meg?’
Meg scanned the audience and then spotted Lady Lennox-Stanley. She was sitting next to Basil Knott-Dean and seemed very happy. Considering she was supposed to be devastated by her daughter calling offthe wedding of the season at very short notice, she was bearing up surprisingly well.
‘She’s two rows ahead of us, and in the middle,’ Meg reported. ‘If she sees you, you’ll have plenty of time to make a quick getaway.’
Vanessa laughed.
‘Now, quiet, children. The play’s about to start,’ said David.
There was music and then the curtain, drawn by long ropes attached to the trees, was hauled up out of the way.
Because Meg’s mind was so full, in the beginning she found it hard to lose herself in the play, but when Dame Miriam, as Titania, came on, she was entranced.
