Page 83

‘If they really want me to,’ Katie said.

‘They’ll have anything. Apparently, top prize is a brace of pheasants and they aren’t even plucked.’

‘Yuck!’ Jess and Katie cried in unison.

Athene’s espresso cup rattled in the saucer. ‘Dear God …’

Wanda laughed. ‘I wouldn’t mind winning them too much. My mum taught me how to pluck a pheasant. It’s really tasty if you don’t overcook it.’

‘I’m sure it is,’ Athene said and nodded at the shopping bags. ‘You two look like you’ve hit the sales big time. What on earth have you got in there?’

Jess and Katie didn’t dare look at each other but Jess found the courage to speak first. ‘Well, that’s something we were going to tell you about. We’ve all got a busy evening ahead.’

They got to work straightaway. Wanda was delighted with the denim jacket and even more delighted with the sequins. Athene seemed in a very good mood on her return from the farm so Katie took her chance and handed over the bag with the black blouse.

‘Oh. It’s um – it’s actually quite nice.’

‘Don’t look so shocked,’ Katie said.

‘We thought you’d like it but the problem is that it isn’t very barn dance,’ Jess said.

‘In its present form,’ Katie added.

‘I like it in its present form.’

Jess looked at Katie for moral support. ‘Well, we had something in mind for it, didn’t we, Katie?’

Wanda looked up from the dining table where she was sewing on sequins.

‘We did.’ Katie meant Jess did but knew that nothing less than 100 per cent solidarity would cut it with Athene.

‘You see these seams under the bust and down the arms?’ Jess smiled, taking the blouse back.

‘Yes. They are very nice seams.’ Athene’s voice dripped with suspicion.

‘They’d look even better piped in cream with some discreet fringing.’

Athene glared at Jess and Katie. ‘I do not consider the words fringing and discreet to be in any way compatible.’

‘They will be. I promise you,’ Jess said. ‘Go and try it on and I’ll tell you what we had in mind.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

While the four of them planned on spending the day of the barn dance finishing their costumes, Arlo was busy setting up the barn. He would ferry them to the mainland at seven and drive them to Rosthwaite, which meant he’d also have to transport them back over in the dark. He’d insisted he was prepared to risk the wrath of anyone who complained.

In the morning, Katie had had a message from Ned, who said he’d had a rush of inspiration for his screenplay and that, combined with some further interest from a producer at a streaming network, meant he was hunkered down trying to finish a draft.

He sounded very enthused so she felt more at ease that he wasn’t invited to the barn dance. Even if it wasn’t his scene, she wasn’t anywhere near as blasé about leaving him out as she’d told Arlo. She told everyone else about the message, in case they were feeling guilty too.

By 6 p.m., the house resembled a scene from Pride and Prejudice when the Bennet sisters were preparing for the Netherfield ball. Panicked pleas and rude words rang out from upstairs and down.

‘Has anyone seen that white petticoat? I thought I left it on the radiator in the laundry?’

‘What happened to my cowboy hat?’

‘Shit. I’ve caught one of my fringes and it’s torn off.’

‘Wanda, you’re leaking some sequins!’