It’s not one of Mrs Einstein’s is it?’
The look on her face was one of horror when Lizzie nodded, and she’d marched briskly down the path, pausing now and then to reach down and scratch, without so much as a backward glance.
At which point Darren stopped scratching, winking at Lizzie, before sauntering in through the back door.
‘Should have warned you,’ said Antonia suddenly that evening. ‘You’re bound to get a visit from the village bat. No-one escapes. Elspeth’s a total pain in the arse - no redeeming features whatsoever I’m afraid. Puts the fear of God into everyone, well, does her best to… Think I told you about her – she’s the one that scoops up Cassie when I’m late.’
‘Actually, she’s already been. I managed to wriggle out of joining the WI, but I think Darren gave her his fleas…’
‘ Gosh, well done.’ Antonia looked impressed. ‘I swear membership will quadruple the day that woman resigns,’ she declared. ‘We ought to set up a rival group. Instead of boring old lunches and knitting, we’ll get pissed and talk about our sex lives and horses or something. It would be heaps more fun… Loads of the old girls round her would join us, you know they’re all ravers on the quiet…’
And this was shortly followed by the Lizzie party that the boys had absolutely insisted on.
‘Darling, you can be the Queen this time, I’m going to be Elizabeth Taylor,’ announced Darius theatrically. ‘You flower, must come as yourself ’ he told Lizzie. ‘In your gardening clothes, with soil in your hair and mud on your jeans, like you usually have,’ he paused for breath as he looked at her dotingly. Lizzie ran her fingers through her hair – soil?
‘And everyone else has to dress up too!’ finished An gel triumphantly. ‘Now sweetie, the deal is that you invite half the guests and we’ll invite the rest. It’s your party after all.’
Lizzie’s protests fell on deaf ears .
‘Sorry honey, it’s the rules…’
Lizzie gave up. ‘But what about the men?’
‘Oh flower, they have to dress as Lizzies too of course! Such fun! Oh w e just love parties,’ Angel told her. ‘Be a pet. Indulge us.’
But being the new girl, Lizzie hardly knew who to invite. Antonia, Katie of course, Tilly, oh and Tim… well, four wasn’t bad seeing as she’d only just moved in. And just maybe Nola and Julia from Sparkie’s, so one lunchtime, she decided to pay them a visit.
‘Oh Lizzie, we’d love to!’ Nola clapped her hands together, then peered closely at her face. ‘You look more peaceful,’ she added. ‘It’s good. Won’t you stay for lunch? We were just about to close…’
They’d led Lizzie through a door at the back of the shop into a small room flooded by sunlight. French doors opened on to a little balcony which overlooked the Rumble, where a wisp of smoke was coming from a recently extinguished candle. There was the oddest array of objects out there, Lizzie couldn’t help but notice, like rocks and what looked like a bit of antler. Her attention swapped to the room, where the table was already set for three with prettily painted plates and another candle burning in the centre.
‘Oh…’ Lizzie looked at it. ‘ But I really don’t want to intrude…’
Nola took her hand and led her to one of the chairs. ‘It’s for you, silly! We were expecting you. Didn’t you say you’d be coming back?’
A baffled Lizzie didn’t know what to say, so she just sat there as they talked away and produced homemade soup and crusty bread.
‘Now you must tell us - are you happy in your cottage?’
‘I love it! It’s quite amazing really… when you think I found Littleton completely by accident,’ she told them.
Nola gave her a sideways look.
‘And then I was stuck without a car,’ she went on, ‘so Katie came to stay. We went out for lunch and bumped into Darius and Angel,
The look on her face was one of horror when Lizzie nodded, and she’d marched briskly down the path, pausing now and then to reach down and scratch, without so much as a backward glance.
At which point Darren stopped scratching, winking at Lizzie, before sauntering in through the back door.
‘Should have warned you,’ said Antonia suddenly that evening. ‘You’re bound to get a visit from the village bat. No-one escapes. Elspeth’s a total pain in the arse - no redeeming features whatsoever I’m afraid. Puts the fear of God into everyone, well, does her best to… Think I told you about her – she’s the one that scoops up Cassie when I’m late.’
‘Actually, she’s already been. I managed to wriggle out of joining the WI, but I think Darren gave her his fleas…’
‘ Gosh, well done.’ Antonia looked impressed. ‘I swear membership will quadruple the day that woman resigns,’ she declared. ‘We ought to set up a rival group. Instead of boring old lunches and knitting, we’ll get pissed and talk about our sex lives and horses or something. It would be heaps more fun… Loads of the old girls round her would join us, you know they’re all ravers on the quiet…’
And this was shortly followed by the Lizzie party that the boys had absolutely insisted on.
‘Darling, you can be the Queen this time, I’m going to be Elizabeth Taylor,’ announced Darius theatrically. ‘You flower, must come as yourself ’ he told Lizzie. ‘In your gardening clothes, with soil in your hair and mud on your jeans, like you usually have,’ he paused for breath as he looked at her dotingly. Lizzie ran her fingers through her hair – soil?
‘And everyone else has to dress up too!’ finished An gel triumphantly. ‘Now sweetie, the deal is that you invite half the guests and we’ll invite the rest. It’s your party after all.’
Lizzie’s protests fell on deaf ears .
‘Sorry honey, it’s the rules…’
Lizzie gave up. ‘But what about the men?’
‘Oh flower, they have to dress as Lizzies too of course! Such fun! Oh w e just love parties,’ Angel told her. ‘Be a pet. Indulge us.’
But being the new girl, Lizzie hardly knew who to invite. Antonia, Katie of course, Tilly, oh and Tim… well, four wasn’t bad seeing as she’d only just moved in. And just maybe Nola and Julia from Sparkie’s, so one lunchtime, she decided to pay them a visit.
‘Oh Lizzie, we’d love to!’ Nola clapped her hands together, then peered closely at her face. ‘You look more peaceful,’ she added. ‘It’s good. Won’t you stay for lunch? We were just about to close…’
They’d led Lizzie through a door at the back of the shop into a small room flooded by sunlight. French doors opened on to a little balcony which overlooked the Rumble, where a wisp of smoke was coming from a recently extinguished candle. There was the oddest array of objects out there, Lizzie couldn’t help but notice, like rocks and what looked like a bit of antler. Her attention swapped to the room, where the table was already set for three with prettily painted plates and another candle burning in the centre.
‘Oh…’ Lizzie looked at it. ‘ But I really don’t want to intrude…’
Nola took her hand and led her to one of the chairs. ‘It’s for you, silly! We were expecting you. Didn’t you say you’d be coming back?’
A baffled Lizzie didn’t know what to say, so she just sat there as they talked away and produced homemade soup and crusty bread.
‘Now you must tell us - are you happy in your cottage?’
‘I love it! It’s quite amazing really… when you think I found Littleton completely by accident,’ she told them.
Nola gave her a sideways look.
‘And then I was stuck without a car,’ she went on, ‘so Katie came to stay. We went out for lunch and bumped into Darius and Angel,
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