happen! Let’s hear it for Becky!”
Everyone is turning toward me with admiring faces. Robin starts applauding, and everyone gradually joins in.
“Go on, Becky,” says Jess, over the noise. “They really want you!”
I do a quick scan around. There’s no sign of Luke.
Oh, come on. I have to show my support.
It’s difficult to walk with my plaster cast, but somehow I hobble through the crowd to the stepladder and carefully climb to the top with Robin’s help. Below me is a sea of excited faces, all looking up in the sunshine.
“Hello, Piper’s Hill!” I yell into the microphone, and an almighty cheer comes back from the crowd, complete with hoots and whistles and frantically beating drums.
God, this is fantastic! It’s like being a pop star!
“This is our country!” I shout, gesturing at the rippling green grass around us. “This is our land! We won’t give it up!”
Another delighted cheer erupts.
“And to anyone who wants us to give it up…” I shout, waving my arms around. “To anyone who thinks they can come and take it away from us… I say this! I say, Go home!”
There’s a third uproarious cheer. I’m totally elated. This seems to come naturally! Maybe I should be a politician!
“I say, give up now!” I yell. “Because we’re going to fight! On the beaches! And on the—”
There’s a slight kerfuffle going on in the crowd, and I break off, trying to see what’s happening.
“They’re coming!” I can hear people shouting.
“Boo!” The whole crowd is hissing and jeering.
“It’s them!” cries Robin, from the grass below. “Bastards! Let ’em have it!”
And suddenly I freeze. Five men in dark suits are making their way swiftly to the front of the crowd.
One of them is Luke.
OK, I think, I need to get down off this ladder. At once.
Except it’s not as easy as that, when one leg is in bloody plaster. I can barely move.
“Er… Robin, I’d like to get down now!” I call.
“You stay there!” shouts Robin. “Carry on with your speech! It’s great!”
I frantically grasp my crutch and am trying to maneuver myself off the top, when Luke looks up and sees me.
I have never seen him so shell-shocked. He stops dead and just stares at me. I can feel my face burning.
Something tells me organizing a protest against your husband’s client has got to be even worse than selling his Tiffany clocks.
“Don’t let the bastards intimidate you, Becky!” Robin hisses urgently from below. “Ignore them! Keep speaking! Go on!”
I’m stuck. There’s nothing else I can do. I clear my throat and focus on Kelly’s enthusiastic face.
“Um… we’re going to fight!” I call out, my voice cracking a bit. “I say… er… go home!”
By now the five men are standing in a row, arms folded, looking up at me. Three men who I don’t recognize, plus Gary and Luke.
The trick is to not look at them.
“Let us keep our land!” I shout, with more confidence. “We don’t want your concrete jungle!”
A huge cheer breaks out, and I can’t help darting a triumphant glance at Luke. His brow is furrowed and he looks furious.
But there’s a twitch at his mouth, too. Almost like he wants to laugh. Our eyes lock, and I have this awful feeling I’m about to start giggling hysterically.
“Give up!” I yell. “Because you won’t win!”
“I’ll go and speak to the ringleader,” Luke says gravely to one of the men I don’t recognize. “See what I can do.”
Calmly he walks across the grass to the stepladder and climbs up three steps until he’s level with me. We’re only inches apart. The breeze is carrying the scent of his aftershave. And now he’s so close, I’m longing to throw my arms around him. I want to tell him how much I missed him. How scared I was on the mountain. How much I love him.
On the other hand, he may not be in the mood for a hug right now.
“Hello,” says Luke at last.
“Oh! Er… hi!” I say as nonchalantly as I can manage. “How are you?”
“Quite a party you have here.” Luke surveys the scene. “Is this all your doing?”
“Er… I had some help.” I clear my throat. “You know how it is… ” I catch my breath as my gaze lands on Luke’s immaculate shirt cuff. Nestling beneath it — only just visible — is a tatty plaited rope bracelet.
I look away quickly, trying to stay cool. We’re on opposing sides here.
“You do realize you’re protesting against a shopping center, Becky?” Luke says.
“With crap shops,” I retort, without missing a beat.
“Don’t negotiate, Becky!” Robin yells from down below.
“Spit in his face!” chimes in Edie, shaking her fist.
“You realize the Arcodas Group is my biggest client,” says Luke. “That has crossed your mind.”
“You wanted me to be more like Jess,” I reply, a little defiantly. “That’s what you said, isn’t it? ‘Be like your sister.’ Well, here you are, then.” I lean forward to the microphone and shout into it, “Go back to London with your fancy ways! Leave us in peace!”
The crowd erupts in an approving cheer.
“Go back to London with my fancy ways?” echoes Luke in disbelief. “What about your fancy ways?”
“I don’t have any fancy ways,” I say haughtily. “I’ve changed, if you want to know. I’m really frugal. And I care about the countryside. And evil developers coming and ruining beauty spots like this.”
Luke leans forward and whispers in my ear, “Actually… they’re not planning to build a shopping center on this site.”
“What?” I look up with a frown. “Yes, they are.”
“No, they’re not. They changed their plans weeks ago. They’re using another site. In fact, they’re redeveloping an existing office complex.”
I search his face suspiciously. He doesn’t look like he’s lying.
“But… the plans,” I say. “We’ve got plans!”
“Old.” He raises his eyebrows. “Someone didn’t do their research properly.” He glances down at Robin. “Him, by any chance?”
Oh God. That actually has the ring of truth.
I can’t quite take this in. They’re not planning to build a shopping center here after all. We’re all here, shouting and yelling… for no reason.
“So.” Luke folds his arms. “Despite your extremely convincing publicity campaign, the Arcodas Group are not in fact villains. They have done nothing wrong.”
“Oh, right.” I shift awkwardly and glance past Luke at the three scowling Arcodas Group men. “So… I don’t suppose they’re very pleased, are they?”
“Not exactly,” agrees Luke.
“Er… sorry about that.” I sweep my eyes over the restive crowd. “So I suppose you want me to tell them. Is that it?”
Luke tugs his earlobe, the way he always does when he’s got a plan.
“Well,” he says. “As it happens, I have a better idea. Since you have helpfully gathered all this media together…”
He takes hold of the microphone, swivels to face the crowd, and taps it for attention. There’s an answering roar of boos and hisses. Even Suze is shaking her banner at him.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Luke says in his deep, confident voice. “Members of the press. I have an announcement to make on behalf of the Arcodas Group.”
