Alex turned and there was Marion by his elbow in the place Sylvie had been just seconds ago, an odd look in her eye as she gazed after the rapidly disappearing redhead. ‘Sucha lovely girl, so talented, and such a dedicated mother. We really are lucky to have her in the village, don’t you think?’
Chapter Twenty-eight
Bing.Marion has roped me in for safety duty, having to go in earlier. See you there?Sylvie scanned the text from Alex and grinned. Now she had headed Marion off at the pass she was much more relaxed again. He did make her laugh. She could only imagine how delighted he was to be forced into a volunteer role.
Bing.What’s worse is she’s roped my friend Hector in as well, now it’s a sure thing that the school will burn down and you’ll be out of a job tomorrow.
Bing.Oh my God. She’s making me wear a tabard! Hector’s doesn’t fit – the advantages of a diet based on port and grouse – so she’s let him off. Do you know anything about the Equality Act?
It would seem that her somewhat embarrassing explanation to Alex hadn’t dimmed their friendship, nor anything Marion might have said in her absence, so she had definitely done the right thing by getting in and letting him know she wasn’t some crazy lust-filled stalker. She certainly wasn’t stalking him, he just kept popping up. The lust bit, hmm, that might be a thing but she would dwell on that later. Privately. And without him ever knowing.
She grinned a big grin and hurried Sam along. She hadn’t been to a Bonfire Night celebration in years and was possibly more excited than her boy. If she could get down to the school early she could see if they needed any help with the final touches to either the marquee where Marion’s minions would be servingfood or the bonfire itself. Although after today she’d have to restrain the urge to Rohypnol Marion, dress her up in old clothes and pretend she was the Guy. That comment about her dancing being for a reputable company and its implication that Marion had previously assumed her dancing was something not quite as respectable was still annoying the bejesus out of her!
As they pulled up to the school, dusk had fully turned to dark and Sam was sitting in his booster chair talking nineteen to the dozen.
‘We didn’t come last year, did we, Mum? But I have seen fireworks before, haven’t I, Mum? Ellie says she’s seen them a million times. I don’t know if she’s telling the truth because she had a funny look on her face and sometimes Ellie lies. Did you know that? I’ve told her she shouldn’t but she still does but I can always tell because of the funny look. She says Angelina says something called white lies are being kind and that everyone tells fibs but I said that lies don’t have colours and all lies are bad, aren’t they, Mum?’
‘Sometimes people do tell a little lie, but you’re quite right, it’s important to always tell the truth.’
Sylvie squealed into a parking spot, hardly able to believe her luck that there was still one left close to the school, and she and Sam wandered over to join the queue to get into the school field for the bonfire extravaganza. So much for being early – the queue was snaking around the large fence and all down the pavement. She had just got chatting to some of the other mums when a silence descended. It could only mean one thing.
‘Yoo-hooo! What are you doing in the queue? Come on now, come this way.’ Marion’s voice rang across the heads as everyone either looked around to see who Monster Marksharp was talking to or started examining the ground in the hope that her glance didn’t fall upon them. Sylvie saw that her buckle was looking a little tarnished, she really did need a new pair of boots.
‘Mum, I think that lady that did the assembly is looking at you.’ No. Had she not had enough Marion for one day?
‘I’m sure she’s not,’ Sylvie whispered to Sam, as she touched his hand to stop him yanking her sleeve off.
‘She’s a prima ballerina, you know? She shouldn’t be in the queue, for goodness’ sake!’
How did that woman manage to make her voice quite so loud? She must deserve a place in theGuinness Book of Records.
There was hardly likely to be another ex-ballerina in amongst the parents tonight. Plus, she needed Marion to stop repeating this nonsense. There was a massive difference between the leading light in a ballet company and Sylvie’s old role. She felt the fire come back.
‘Marion…’ she heard the bark in her own voice, ‘…I wasn’t a…’
‘Come on now, don’t be modest, dear, that doesn’t help anyone. Sarah! Why did you not pop Sylvie straight to the front? Sheisstaff and invaluable to the PTA as well. You really do need to shape up! Come on through.’ She felt Marion’s hand grip her arm with even more force than Sam usually used. Did this count as assault? She dallied with a ten-second daydream about getting Marion arrested and carted off in front of all the parents. Although knowing her luck, the policeman would probably roll up his trouser leg, perform some kind of weird hand gesture and take Sylvie away instead. Best keep her protest verbal.
‘Marion, really. Please let go of me.’
‘TheRoyalBallet, you know,andshe’s teaching lessons here at Penmenna. Such a waiting list, even my own dear boys haven’t been able to get in.’ Marion bustled her through the crowds of parents and public, most of whom gave Sylvie looks of sympathy as opposed to the anger she’d expected for such outrageous queue-jumping. Marion’s grip was like that of a boarding-school matron. ‘Penmenna really is the darling of thefamous at the moment, what with Sylvie here and of course our very own Alex McKenzie. We are ablaze with celebrity.’
‘I’m not in any way a…’
‘And…’ Marion continued to anyone who would listen, and it appeared that was the whole school, ‘…such a good pairing. Take my word for it and watch this space, the sizzle between those two is quite something.’ They cleared the queue, which was now silent and agog, and stood in the school field, looking across at it all lit up and sparkling with an enticing Bonfire Night welcome. The smell of sausages and jacket potatoes flitted across the field and Sylvie could see Sam’s nose twitching. However, first she needed to deal with this bloody woman and her vice-like grip.
‘Marion!’ Sylvie had had enough and forcibly shook her off. ‘I was not a prima ballerina and there is no sizzle between Alex and myself. None at all.’
‘Hohoho, I have a knack for these things, dear. I can spot romance a mile off, Rosy will tell you. There she is…’ Rosy was walking across the field, in deep conversation with a man with the curliest hair and a naughty-looking dog bouncing along by their feet. ‘…Rosy! Cooo-eee, just me and Sylvie.’ Marion waved across at the head teacher before turning back to Sylvie, Sam and the three henchwomen who had trailed alongside them. ‘And what’s more I know about sex, trust me. I know about good sex, and you two are going to have a lot of it. Mark my words.’ Sylvie’s mouth dropped open as she brought her hands upwards by her side and waved them in horror whilst shooting desperate looks at Sam.
‘Who’s going to have lots of good sex?’
Oh, wow. If the ground could just open up now and swallow her whole.
‘Oh, look, why don’t you run along and play with Ellie, Sam.’ It was intended as a request rather than a question.
‘No.’ Sam had a mutinous look on his face whilst Ellie, who had appeared with her father out of nowhere, was dissolving into giggles. Sylvie psychically willed her to pop on the ear-defenders she was carrying with her, or at the very least give them to Sam.
‘Hello, Alex darling, mwah, mwah. I was just talking about you and Sylvie. I know all about these things.’
