Ivy Lane: Autumn: by Cathy Bramley Page A

costumes now,’ he said, nudging his wizard hat up out of his eyes. ‘Then shall I grab us some drinks?’
    I nodded happily and let him carry on with his task. Bless him, he was taking his judging role very seriously. Now that Mia had gone, Charlie was the obvious winner as far as I was concerned. Those coloured lenses were the scariest thing I’d ever seen. In fact, I’d be lucky not to have nightmares tonight. Unless of course Aidan gave me something sweet to dream about. . .
    I was jolted from my reverie by Christine, who thrust another glass of punch in my hand. Her bat mask was now firmly in place, presumably while the judging took place.
    ‘I love seeing the place packed like this,’ she said, clinking her glass against mine. We both took a sip. I gasped and choked.
    ‘Me too,’ I wheezed. ‘Goodness, I think this stuff has got stronger!’ I’d broken my alcohol abstinence recently and had discovered chocolate-flavoured Baileys. I blamed Hayley, she had brought a bottle round. But so far I had only had the odd tipple. This stuff tasted lethal.
    Christine tutted. ‘That bloomin’ husband of mine,’ she chuntered. ‘Two minutes I left him in charge of the punchbowl. Take it steady, love, he’ll have poured a bottle of Hennessy into it, so he will. Anyway, as I was saying. More events, more chances to get the community together, that’s what we need.’ She eyed me sideways over the rim of her glass.
    ‘Well,’ I said, choosing my words very carefully. I’d fallen foul of her cunning ways before by saying the wrong thing. I was determined not to get talked into anything. ‘Put on more events.’ Note, I did not say
We could.
It was an instruction, not an offer of help.
    It seemed to have worked.
    ‘Go on,’ she nodded, her bat mask quivering with enthusiasm.
    ‘Er,’ I racked my brains. I knew what worked in schools but this was a much older age group. ‘A bonfire party, too late for this year, of course, but you could have a Guy Fawkes competition. Or what about summer garden party? And a Christmas Fayre is a must, I’d say.’
    ‘And you’d like those things, would you?’ She was still nodding.
    ‘Oh yes, absolutely!’ I confirmed, risking a second sip of the punch.
    ‘Grand!’ She threw an arms around my neck and kissed my cheek. ‘We were looking for a bit of help on the committee. Someone younger. That’s grand!’
    My shoulders sagged. She’d done it again. Christine bustled off, presumably to give the good news to Peter. Gemma took her place at my side.
    ‘Did you see what just happened?’ I looked at her gloomily.
    ‘Yes, but never mind that, have you planted the note?’ she hissed.
    ‘Yes and he’s picked it up!’ I hissed back.
    ‘Has he?’ She frowned and then her face cleared and she shrugged. ‘Must have been when I was in the kitchen. Well, go on then.’ She jerked her head at the door. ‘Go and drape yourself over the chaise longue, he can’t be much longer.’
    ‘OK.’ I knocked back the last of the punch. ‘Wish me luck.’
    ‘Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,’ she whispered.
    We both looked at her tummy and then back at each other and laughed.
    Suddenly the sight of her bump tugged sharply at my heart strings and my eyes pricked with tears. I felt a vision from my past beginning to form and I threw my arms round Gemma and shut my eyes tight to blink it away.
    It’s no use worrying about the life you can’t have . . .
    ‘You’re going to be fine, Tilly,’ murmured Gemma close to my ear.
    I pulled away, squared my shoulder and gave her a bright smile. ‘Right. I’m off. Definitely.’
    And with a backward glance at Aidan, I set off into the night for a second time.

Chapter 12
    Nerves steered me towards the loos again first and then I skirted the pavilion and walked to the road. This time, without the panic to reach the shed ahead of Aidan, I took the walk at a much more ladylike pace. The downside to this was that my brain had time to take