‘With pink and white ribbons threaded all through them, like when Maxine does it for me.’
Serena had observed this ritual on numerous occasions during the past weeks. Even Maxine, with her practised, nimble fingers, couldn’t complete the complicated procedure in less than twenty minutes.
‘Sweetheart, your hair looks fine as it is,’ she said in soothing tones. ‘It’s much prettier hanging loose. Now why don’t you run back into the kitchen, and tell Josh to switch off the toaster? Your father isn’t going to be very pleased if he sets the kitchen on fire.’
The result of such lack of interest was that by midafternoon Ella was deeply bored. Josh, addicted to computer games and taking full advantage of Maxine and Guy’s absence, was closeted in his bedroom with his beloved Gameboy, going glassy-eyed over Pokemon. Normally limited to thirty-minute sessions, he was in heaven. Guy always confiscated the batteries when half an hour was up. Maxine, even more infuriatingly, swiped the whole thing and started playing the game herself.
‘Go away,’ he told Ella, who was perched on the end of his bed kicking her heels.
‘Can’t I have a turn?’
‘No. I’ve got fourteen thousand points.’
Ella stuck out her bottom lip. ‘But Jo-osh--’
‘And stop kicking the bed, you’re making me blink.’
Ella kicked the bed harder. Josh, putting the game on pause, leaned across and shoved her on to the floor.
‘Look, you make me blink and I haven’t got time to blink. Just go away and leave me alone.’
‘I hate you,’ whined Ella, but Josh wasn’t going to be drawn into a fight. Fourteen thousand points was his highest score ever and he had no intention of stopping now.
‘Good,’ he murmured as Ella flounced towards the bedroom door. ‘I hate you too.’
If she couldn’t have her hair in plaits and she couldn’t play with Josh, Ella decided, she should at least be allowed to buy sweets instead. It was only fair.
Serena, who had finished with Harpers & Queen, was now engrossed in the Tatler. Several of her more glamorous friends were featured in this month’s edition and it was always fun seeing who’d been doing what. Even better, the fact that they were often caught unawares by the camera meant there was always the chance of spotting an unflattering expression, an exposed bra strap, even a lethal hint of a double chin .. .
‘Can we go down to the shop and buy some sweets?’
Glancing up from the pages of Bystander, Serena saw that Ella was back. This time she was clutching a yellow purse shaped like a banana.
‘Of course you can, darling.’
‘I’ve got eighty pence.’
‘How lovely.’ Serena gave her a benevolent smile. When she showed no sign of moving from the sofa, however, Ella tried again.
‘Can we go now, please?’
As realization dawned, Serena’s smile faded. ‘Isn’t Josh going with you?’
‘He won’t. He’s playing his stupid Gameboy game. It isn’t far away, though.’ Ella gave her a pleading look. ‘And it’s stopped raining now so we won’t get wet.’
Trudging half a mile down a muddy lane overhung with dripping chestnut trees wasn’t Serena’s idea of fun, although it was gratifying to think that Ella wanted her company. ‘Thank you, darling,’ she replied, her tone soothing, ‘but I’m not really in the mood for a walk right now. Maybe tomorrow.’
Ella was by this time thoroughly confused. Serena appeared to be saying no to the walk, but she hadn’t said no to the sweets. Desperate for Rolos and Maltesers, she said in hesitant tones,
‘Does that mean I can go down to the shop?’
‘Of course you can,’ Serena replied absently, her attention captured by a familiar face amongst the guests at a recent society wedding. Good heavens, she hadn’t seen Trudy Blenkarne for years and now here she was, complete with nose job, collagen-inflated lips and an ugly Texan husband to boot .. .
It absolutely wasn’t fair, thought Josh, shaking the Gameboy and willing the batteries to surge back to life. Just when there was nobody to stop him playing, they’d had to run out. And it was all Maxine’s fault, he decided crossly. She was the one who’d kept confiscating the game and playing it instead of doing the ironing. Now she’d used them up.
Feeling vaguely remorseful for having driven Ella away earlier, he went in search of her.
His sister’s bedroom was empty, however, and when he got downstairs he found Serena alone in the sitting room, drinking orange juice and watching television.
‘Oh,’ said Josh, surprised. ‘I thought Ella was down here with you.’
A girl was abseiling down the side of a tall building. Serena, evidently enthralled, waited until she’d reached the ground before turning to smile at Josh.
‘I’d probably be sick if I had to do that, wouldn’t you? No ... I haven’t seen Ella for a while.
Perhaps she’s upstairs.’
He frowned. ‘I’ve already looked in her room.’
‘Oh well.’ Serena shrugged, sipped her orange juice and glanced up at the grandfather clock. ‘She’s around somewhere. Go and find her, Josh, and ask her what she’d like for tea. It’s either fish cakes or poached eggs on toast.’
When Josh returned to the sitting room ten minutes later, Serena still hadn’t moved.
‘She isn’t anywhere,’ he said, his voice taut with worry. ‘I’ve looked all over the house and in the garden and she isn’t anywhere at all.’
