precautions—’ Tommy’s father cleared his throat. ‘Perhaps we should go home now.’
Dad’s hand flung out. ‘Stay there, stay there. No need to ruin the party just because I’m having a discussion with my mother.’
‘She isn’t on the streets,’ said Tommy suddenly.
Everyone’s heads swung round. Eloise’s eyes flicked to him, then down again.
‘Osman,’ murmured Tommy’s mother.
‘She isn’t on the streets,’ said Tommy again, ‘if she’s at the old house.’
‘Well, that’s even worse!’ said Lorelei shrilly. ‘Hanging around that old dump! There could be vagrants, rats, falling plaster. It’s just irresponsible, that’s what it is.’
‘I’ll handle this, Lorelei.’
‘We really must be leaving now,’ said Tommy’s father firmly. He pushed back his chair and gave Mo a little bow. ‘Thank you so much for allowing us to share this family day.’
Tommy’s mother kissed Mo on the cheek, and then, unexpectedly, she kissed Eloise too. ‘Thank you for our wonderful gift,’ she said softly, smiling into Eloise’s eyes. Then the Durranis left.
‘Those people,’ Mo pointed after them with a knife. ‘ Those people know what danger is. They’ve been through war, bombs, refugee camps, detention centres. And you dare give them lectures about rats and falling plaster?’
‘I think the real point, Mrs McCredie, is that Stephen left Eloise in your care. Allowing her to roam around without any supervision is neglect. If Child Services heard about this . . .’
Mo clenched her jaw. ‘Ho-ho! Is that a threat , Miss Swan? Because I’m sure the National Trust would love to hear about a pristine Art Deco building that someone’s planning to demolish.’
Lorelei Swan swung round to Dad. ‘You told me the house wasn’t covered. If it’s registered by the National Trust, we can’t touch it.’
‘It isn’t,’ Dad said.
‘Only because I haven’t told them about it,’ said Mo. ‘Yet.’
‘Simmer down, everybody,’ soothed Dad. ‘Hey, hey, this is supposed to be a celebration, isn’t it? How about we leave the child-rearing to Mo, and Mo leaves the business side to us, and then we can all get along nicely.’
‘She isn’t my child, Stephen,’ said Mo.
‘But it is Stephen’s house,’ said Lorelei Swan sweetly. Her lips stretched in a smile, but the rest of her face didn’t move at all. It was the creepiest thing Eloise had ever seen.
‘Let’s go into the living room and have another drink.’ Dad ushered Lorelei away and a minute later there came the loud pop of another champagne cork.
As Mo and Eloise cleared up and washed the dishes in the kitchen, they could hear Lorelei’s raised voice and Dad’s quieter rumble, and then finally screams of laughter, punctuated by long stretches of silence.
‘Hope they’re not planning to drive back to the hotel,’ said Mo. Then she added darkly, ‘And I hope they’re not planning to stay here.’ She peeled off her rubber gloves with a weary sigh. ‘Think I might have a lie down, Eloise. It’s been a long day. You’ll be all right?’ Eloise nodded, and hung her damp tea towel over the oven rail.
‘Good girl.’ Mo pottered to the door, then turned back. ‘What they don’t understand is that it’s all about trust .’ She looked hard at Eloise. ‘You know what I’m talking about.’
Eloise nodded again, but slightly guiltily. Because as soon as Mo closed her bedroom door, she knew exactly what she was going to do.
Thunder growled overhead as Eloise eased the back door open and gingerly picked up her bicycle. Dad and Lorelei wouldn’t hear her, and Mo was probably asleep by now. It was late afternoon, and the sky was slated over with dark clouds. Mo had said it wasn’t going to rain. ‘That thunder’s just empty promises,’ she’d sniffed. The air was still, close and muggy. Eloise decided not to bring a jacket. After all, she wouldn’t be gone for long.
As she stood on the pedals, shifting her
Dad’s hand flung out. ‘Stay there, stay there. No need to ruin the party just because I’m having a discussion with my mother.’
‘She isn’t on the streets,’ said Tommy suddenly.
Everyone’s heads swung round. Eloise’s eyes flicked to him, then down again.
‘Osman,’ murmured Tommy’s mother.
‘She isn’t on the streets,’ said Tommy again, ‘if she’s at the old house.’
‘Well, that’s even worse!’ said Lorelei shrilly. ‘Hanging around that old dump! There could be vagrants, rats, falling plaster. It’s just irresponsible, that’s what it is.’
‘I’ll handle this, Lorelei.’
‘We really must be leaving now,’ said Tommy’s father firmly. He pushed back his chair and gave Mo a little bow. ‘Thank you so much for allowing us to share this family day.’
Tommy’s mother kissed Mo on the cheek, and then, unexpectedly, she kissed Eloise too. ‘Thank you for our wonderful gift,’ she said softly, smiling into Eloise’s eyes. Then the Durranis left.
‘Those people,’ Mo pointed after them with a knife. ‘ Those people know what danger is. They’ve been through war, bombs, refugee camps, detention centres. And you dare give them lectures about rats and falling plaster?’
‘I think the real point, Mrs McCredie, is that Stephen left Eloise in your care. Allowing her to roam around without any supervision is neglect. If Child Services heard about this . . .’
Mo clenched her jaw. ‘Ho-ho! Is that a threat , Miss Swan? Because I’m sure the National Trust would love to hear about a pristine Art Deco building that someone’s planning to demolish.’
Lorelei Swan swung round to Dad. ‘You told me the house wasn’t covered. If it’s registered by the National Trust, we can’t touch it.’
‘It isn’t,’ Dad said.
‘Only because I haven’t told them about it,’ said Mo. ‘Yet.’
‘Simmer down, everybody,’ soothed Dad. ‘Hey, hey, this is supposed to be a celebration, isn’t it? How about we leave the child-rearing to Mo, and Mo leaves the business side to us, and then we can all get along nicely.’
‘She isn’t my child, Stephen,’ said Mo.
‘But it is Stephen’s house,’ said Lorelei Swan sweetly. Her lips stretched in a smile, but the rest of her face didn’t move at all. It was the creepiest thing Eloise had ever seen.
‘Let’s go into the living room and have another drink.’ Dad ushered Lorelei away and a minute later there came the loud pop of another champagne cork.
As Mo and Eloise cleared up and washed the dishes in the kitchen, they could hear Lorelei’s raised voice and Dad’s quieter rumble, and then finally screams of laughter, punctuated by long stretches of silence.
‘Hope they’re not planning to drive back to the hotel,’ said Mo. Then she added darkly, ‘And I hope they’re not planning to stay here.’ She peeled off her rubber gloves with a weary sigh. ‘Think I might have a lie down, Eloise. It’s been a long day. You’ll be all right?’ Eloise nodded, and hung her damp tea towel over the oven rail.
‘Good girl.’ Mo pottered to the door, then turned back. ‘What they don’t understand is that it’s all about trust .’ She looked hard at Eloise. ‘You know what I’m talking about.’
Eloise nodded again, but slightly guiltily. Because as soon as Mo closed her bedroom door, she knew exactly what she was going to do.
Thunder growled overhead as Eloise eased the back door open and gingerly picked up her bicycle. Dad and Lorelei wouldn’t hear her, and Mo was probably asleep by now. It was late afternoon, and the sky was slated over with dark clouds. Mo had said it wasn’t going to rain. ‘That thunder’s just empty promises,’ she’d sniffed. The air was still, close and muggy. Eloise decided not to bring a jacket. After all, she wouldn’t be gone for long.
As she stood on the pedals, shifting her
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