Chapter 91
NINETY-ONE
Rosie was allowed to walk home by herself now it was getting lighter after school.
Her parents had agreed it was good for her to get a little independence, especially as there were only a few months left of primary school.
She loved it and she and Tilly, who’d also been granted the same privilege, would be the first to walk out of school, heads held high, while the collected kids had to wait for the teacher to identify each of their parents in turn before they were released.
The freedom was intoxicating. They felt years older than they were, and were heady with the knowledge that for the first time in their lives they were completely unsupervised.
It was Friday. The day before the Straw Bear Festival.
As usual, Rosie and Tilly marched out of the school without a backwards glance at Miss Young or their classmates and headed towards the high street.
Friday was extra special as their mums would give them some money to buy a milkshake from the village cafe on the way home.
Rosie loved going in and ordering, sitting with Tilly and sucking all the chocolatey cold milk from the bottom of the glass, not wasting a drop.
Except today she didn’t want to.
‘I’ve forgotten my money,’ she said to Tilly, whose face dropped in horror. Rosie pretended to be devastated too. ‘Trauma,’ she added.
‘Maybe I’ve got enough for both of us,’ said Tilly, peering into her little zip-up purse with a ladybird on it.
‘No, you should save your money,’ said Rosie quickly.
Tilly didn’t have enough anyway. There was only five pounds. Milkshakes cost four pounds each.
‘I’m such an idiot,’ said Rosie.
‘We could share one?’ suggested Tilly, hope in her eyes.
‘That might be a bit weird.’
Tilly looked affronted.
‘I mean with the lady behind the till. Us only buying one drink.’
‘Yeah. S’pose.’
They shrugged at each other then continued on their way. As usual, they came to Tilly’s house first.
‘See you at the festival tomorrow,’ said Rosie.
‘Yeah. I’ll ask my mum to ask your mum what time you’re going so we can meet up.’
‘Great,’ said Rosie. ‘See you there.’ She hesitated. Part of her was desperate to get away, to get on with what she wanted to do. But she had a very strong feeling she might need some help. She questioned whether she could trust Tilly. She questioned whether she had any choice.
‘Maybe we could meet earlier. Before the festival.’
‘OK.’
‘It’s for something important.’
Tilly looked interested. ‘What?’
‘You have to promise to keep it a secret.’
‘Course,’ said Tilly blithely. Greedily. Wanting to know.
‘No, I mean it,’ said Rosie. ‘Or I might have to kill you.’
Tilly started. ‘Okaaaay . . .’
‘I’ll tell you tomorrow. When I come to your house. About two o’clock, OK?’
‘Can’t you tell me today?’
‘No.’
Tilly accepted the rebuff and they gave each other a little lightweight hug, a sort of resting of the hands on each other’s shoulders and then Tilly went up her front path.
Rosie didn’t hang about. She walked swiftly away and when she was out of view of the house, she broke into a run. But instead of going home, she headed back up to the high street, crossed over the road then made her way down the lane that led towards the woods.
After a couple of minutes, she came to a large house that had a stable block off to one side.
Rosie didn’t bother with the house, instead she went straight towards the yard. Over the other side of the gate was a woman. Rosie stopped and the woman looked up.
‘Rosie?’ the woman said.
It was Olivia. The lady who had bought her pony for her own daughter.
‘Hi,’ said Rosie.
‘Nice to see you. It’s been a while.’
Rosie nodded. Last time she’d seen this lady and her daughter was the day they’d come to take Lupin away from her at her old house.
Olivia had said that Rosie could come and visit Lupin at any time but she hadn’t wanted to.
She would have been too upset, she knew.
She would have wanted to jump on Lupin’s back and ride him across the fields, over the fences and hedges until they were free forever.
‘Is it OK if I say hello to Lupin?’
Olivia’s face broke into a smile. ‘Of course. He’s just come out of the field. You want to give him a carrot?’
Rosie opened the gate and went into the yard, taking the carrot Olivia had picked out from a bucket in a small shed off to one side.
‘Izzy loves him,’ said Olivia.
Rosie nodded. She knew Izzy wouldn’t be home for another hour as she went to a private primary school.
‘I just need to get our other horse down from the field,’ said Olivia. ‘You OK if I leave you for a minute?’
‘Yes.’
‘You know, you’re welcome to come and say hello any time.’ Olivia stroked Lupin’s nose.
‘Tomorrow?’ asked Rosie.
‘Afraid we’re out at horse trials tomorrow. Not Lupin as he needs to keep his energy for the festival.’
Rosie took this information in as Olivia headed off to the fields. She went over to where her pony was in his stable, his head over the door watching her, smelling her – welcoming her. She scratched his ears, stroked his nose and he whickered softly.
‘It’s your big day tomorrow, Lupin,’ she said.
‘I’m sorry I won’t be riding you.’ Her voice caught in her throat.
It wasn’t fair that Lara had been given the role of Spring Queen.
Rosie was sickened by the idea, hated the fact she’d had to engineer it so Lara won the vote.
She remembered what her mother had said: Life has a way of rebalancing.
There are other ways to get back at someone.
She kissed Lupin’s nose and whispered to him.
‘You mustn’t be scared, OK?’
She checked that he understood what she was saying, searching his eyes for understanding. He seemed to look right back at her and she hugged his neck. ‘I knew you’d be on my side,’ she said. ‘Just remember, nothing bad is going to happen to you.’