Chapter 28
Willow sniggered into her hand.
Emily looked at Clarissa. ‘Well, this is awkward,’ she whispered. ‘Does this mean we have to admit one more to the Wolf Girls Club?’
Willow overheard, and stamped her foot. ‘No boys allowed!’
The couple were snuggled together, holding hands, Briony’s head resting on Troy’s shoulder. They were fast asleep, unaware of the new arrivals. They started to wake up. Briony opened her eyes first to find Emily, Clarissa, Willow and Luna standing in front of the sofa, looking down at them.
‘What are you doing here? What’s the time?’
‘Party time!’ exclaimed Willow, running over to her.
‘Willow, the party isn’t until later,’ Emily reminded her. ‘This was meant to be a Wolf Girls Club meeting first, then we were helping out with party prep before everyone else arrived.’ She turned to Briony. ‘I did explain to her that everyone would probably want to pop into our HQ to see the new outbuilding. I see you’re here already.’
‘You’re still in your pyjamas,’ Willow exclaimed as Briony cast the throw aside.
‘Is this meant to be a slumber party?’ asked Clarissa.
Willow misheard. ‘Is this a pyjama party? Can we have pillow fights?’
Troy, still half-asleep, also woke up and echoed Briony’s surprise as he sat up. ‘What time is it?’
Willow shouted, ‘You can’t join the Wolf Girls Club because you’re a boy!’
He looked at Willow, wide-eyed. ‘What’s going on? What are you doing here this early?’
‘It’s not early,’ Willow shouted.
Emily said, ‘Clarissa, why don’t you take Willow over to The Beach House. I’m sure the kittens will be waiting for breakfast.’
Briony caught Clarissa grinning at her as she walked towards the door. Briony wanted to tell her that whatever she was thinking, and however it looked, there was nothing going on between her and Troy.
Troy quickly got up and handed Briony her blanket. He glanced at his watch. ‘Oh, hell – is that the time?’
‘You said hell!’ Willow announced. ‘That’s rude!’
Clarissa grabbed her hand, ‘Come on, let’s go feed those kittens.’ They walked out of the door.
Briony stood up too and turned to Troy. ‘You’re going to stay for the party – aren’t you?’
‘Yes, I’ll be back for the party. I said I’d pick my father up.’ He looked towards the door. ‘How did Willow get here?’
Sebastian popped his head around the door at that moment. ‘I brought Willow. She said on no account was I to go into the Wolf Girls Club new headquarters.’ Sebastian looked him up and down. ‘What are you doing here? Willow made it sound as though no boys are allowed.’
Troy nervously put his hand through his hair. ‘I’m just doing some last-minute checks.’
‘On the outbuilding?’
‘Yes, on the outbuilding.’
Sebastian’s eyes flicked to Briony as Troy joined him at the door.
Briony saw Sebastian put a fatherly hand on his shoulder as he walked out of the door, whispering something in his ear.
Troy said, ‘It’s not what it looks like, I can assure you.’
Briony pursed her lips. It was kind of what it looked like; they had slept together, for a bit. She was just so pleased that Sebastian was already there, which meant that Troy didn’t have to leave after all. She was worried he might have a row with his dad and not come back for the party. Now, Troy wasn’t going anywhere.
Emily and Briony were the only ones left in the room. Briony watched Emily turn around, eyebrows raised. ‘Now, don’t tell me there’s nothing going on between you two. That’s the second time I’ve caught you in Troy’s embrace.’
Briony rolled her eyes. Once again, she did not want to be reminded of that episode on the beach when Troy had thought he was saving her from drowning.
‘What were you two doing here – or shouldn’t I ask?’
‘We were just watching the sunrise together, then we obviously fell asleep.’ Briony was still shocked at how long they’d slept.
‘Now I know what your excuse is – tired all the time,’ Emily said, light-heartedly, but unless he’s pregnant too—’ she joked.
Briony’s eyes went wide. She sat back down, and looked towards the door as she put a finger to her lips. ‘Shush!’
Emily looked at her in surprise. ‘You haven’t told him yet?’ She came over and sat down beside her.
‘I was going to tell him, and then I fell asleep.’
‘This sofa is so comfy. Little wonder you dozed off.’
‘And then you guys showed up.’
‘Don’t blame me,’ said Emily, clearly amused. ‘You did say the Wolf Girls Club should meet up around half-past nine, and after a chit-chat, we’d have a private tour of your new abode …’
Briony didn’t correct her, even though she knew it wasn’t going to be her new abode, regardless of any full renovation plans she’d imagined. She reminded herself that none of the dreams she’d had were real.
Emily caught her expression. ‘Did you write to Freddie?’
Briony nodded. ‘Yes, and I even got a stamp.’
‘So, you posted the letter explaining how you felt? He’s not going to turn up here today – is he?’
Briony winced. ‘Not exactly. I kind of lost the letter.’ She wouldn’t have wanted Freddie to turn up there, even if he had got that letter and read it. It was fortunate she’d lost it.
‘You lost the letter?’
‘Yes, and he doesn’t know anything about the outbuilding or the party.’ She picked up a cushion and studied it. ‘Oh, bother.’
‘What’s the matter?’
Briony had just remembered that she hadn’t emailed her mum during the week when she was working in the music shop as she’d intended. She made a mental note to do it the next week. She didn’t think the extra couple of days over the weekend would really make much difference now.
‘So, Troy really has no idea that you’re—?’
Briony shook her head, although Emily’s question had reminded her that before they’d fallen asleep, Troy had said he had something important to tell her too. She still assumed it had something to do with the fact that this wasn’t his real job, and that he was normally desk-bound.
‘It really is something,’ said Emily, admiring it the outbuilding. ‘Troy did a fantastic job.’
‘Yeah.’ Briony started to wonder if what he had to tell her had nothing to do with his normal day job. She knew she had the furniture to pay for. Maybe that was it. She hoped not. Although she had insisted on withdrawing money from her savings and paying what she could, all along she had got the impression that he was subsidising the work. She hoped he wasn’t going to ask for more money, because her savings had dwindled to next to nothing. She felt fortunate that Reggie had offered her a job at his music shop.
‘So, when are you getting dressed?’ Emily asked. ‘Or have you decided to have a slumber party?’
Briony playfully threw the cushion at her, larking about.
Emily threw it back.
Willow appeared at the doorway with the two kittens, one in each hand. She squealed in delight, put the kittens down to explore, under Luna’s watchful gaze, and came bounding over. Willow picked up a cushion.
‘Oh, no,’ said Emily, shielding her face.
Clarissa appeared too. ‘We need more cushions!’ After taking the kittens back to the house, out of harm’s way, Clarissa reappeared with a small mountain of pillows and cushions. She dumped them on the sofa, rolled up her sleeves, and said, ‘Let’s get this party started!’
Willow stood on the sofa.
Briony joined her.
‘Let the game commence!’ Clarissa shouted out. ‘Oh, one quick question. Briony, is it okay if my two kids come this afternoon? My dad is looking after them, and as he’s coming to the party, and I can’t get a sitter …’ Clarissa trailed off.
‘Of course they can!’ exclaimed Briony, thumping her with a pillow. ‘I forgot about your kids. Sorry, I should have invited them too.’
‘Great!’ Clarissa stood on the sofa too, and thumped Briony with the cushion. ‘Oh, no. I forgot you’re pregnant!’
‘Don’t be silly, that doesn’t make me an invalid. I can still stand my ground in a pillow fight.’
‘Fantastic!’ Emily said. ‘So can I!’
A few minutes later, they all collapsed on the sofa. Even Luna had joined in, a pillow in her jaws, getting a hang of the rules of the game – there were none. It was just a matter of thumping anyone and everyone.
Clarissa put the pillow she had in her hand behind her back, and sat back on the sofa. ‘By the way, Briony, I’m glad it looks as though my dad is sorting your boat.’
‘Well, he came along to look at it.’
‘It’s great that he took it, then. I hope he can get it repaired.’
‘No, he didn’t take it to the boatyard in the end. We discussed it, but I explained it belonged to my grandmother, and until she gets out of hospital and tells me what she’d like done with it, it has to be left as it is.’ Briony wished that Peter had never turned up to look at the boat. She’d wasted his time. And she knew she should also have applied that logic to the outbuilding renovation project and left it well alone until her grandmother returned. Although Troy had done a fantastic job.
‘That didn’t stop you with the outbuilding,’ commented Clarissa, as if reading her thoughts.
‘Yeah, well, the outbuilding wasn’t being taken away, stripped down, and possibly sold for firewood if I couldn’t find the money to repair it. So your dad covered it with a tarpaulin. At least it’s protected from the weather until my grandmother gets home.’
Clarissa said, ‘Hmm. That is odd.’
‘What is it?’ Emily asked.
‘The boat’s gone,’ said Willow.
Briony looked at her. ‘What do you mean – the boat’s gone?’
Emily and Clarissa exchanged a glance. ‘Yep, it was the first thing we noticed when we turned up. The boat is no longer sitting on the sand under the lounge window.’
Briony dropped the cushion she was holding and raced to the door. She flung it open, rushed outside, and stopped. Even though she could see it wasn’t there, she continued walking towards The Beach House. She stopped where the boat had stood. It was now just a patch of sunken sand in the shape of the hull of the boat.
Clarissa, Emily and Willow caught up with her.
Luna pawed the sand as if she understood there was something missing.
Clarissa said, ‘If my dad didn’t take it – then who did?’
Briony had an idea. She looked through the kitchen window and spotted Troy helping himself to party food.
Willow spotted him too. ‘Troy is eating the food we left on the kitchen table until everyone arrives for the party!’ She banged on the window. ‘Stop that!’
Troy was just about to pop a sausage roll in his mouth. He looked at Willow wide-eyed as she wagged her finger at him, hand on hip.
He looked at her sheepishly, and slowly put the sausage roll down.
Briony walked into the kitchen.
‘Sorry, you caught me red-handed.’
‘Never mind that – what did you do with the boat?’
Clarissa, Willow and Emily stepped into the kitchen too. He looked at each of them in turn. ‘I’m sorry – what?’
‘The boat outside.’
‘Oh, right. Didn’t that guy who came to look at it, Peter, take it away?’
‘No, he covered it with a tarpaulin.’
‘And then he took it away – right?’
Briony frowned at him. ‘I know what you’re up to, Troy. And it’s not going to work this time.’
Troy looked at her innocently. ‘Sorry, but I have absolutely no idea what you’re getting at.’
‘Is that what you wanted to talk to me about in the outbuilding this morning? Because I know you’ve renovated the outbuilding well below cost, so I couldn’t possibly have you do the same for the boat too. I want you to bring it right back right now.’
It explained what he had been doing there so early. Someone had come along and helped him take the boat to the boatyard.
Troy held up both hands. ‘I swear I know nothing about the boat.’
Briony still wasn’t sure she believed him. ‘Where’s your dad – did he take the boat?’
‘Of course not – why would he?’
Because he seems to have a sentimental attachment to it, thought Briony. But she didn’t want to get into that, or bring up her mum.
Sebastian walked out of the lounge, one of the old leather-bound photo albums open in his hand. He stopped in the doorway. ‘Sorry, I couldn’t help overhearing something about the boat. I was wondering what had happened to the boat too.’ He looked at Briony.
Willow came running up to her dad. He picked her up in his arms. ‘What’s that?’ she asked.
‘Oh, this – it’s a photo album from years ago.’
‘Can I see?’
Sebastian looked sheepishly at Briony. ‘Sorry, I should have asked before looking at the photo album.’
Briony stared at Sebastian, who was affectionately holding his young daughter in his arms. Briony could tell he was a great dad. ‘No, it’s okay – look at it if you want to.’ Briony caught Troy frowning at her.
Sebastian said, ‘So, what do you think happened to the boat?’
Briony shrugged. ‘I haven’t the faintest idea.’
‘It’s a mystery,’ commented Clarissa.
‘We can find it,’ said Willow. ‘It will be like a Wolf Girls Club mission.’
‘I like it,’ said Emily, smiling.
‘Me too,’ Briony agreed although she didn’t know how they’d go about finding it.
‘A secret mission,’ said Willow.
Sebastian looked at his daughter. ‘Did you learn that word at school – mission?’
Willow shook her head.
‘Something you’re watching on TV about spies?’
Briony caught a look pass between Willow and Troy, and she saw Troy looking anxiously at his little sister. She knew they hadn’t taken the boat, but something was going on. Were they hiding something else?