Read Online The Great Escape by Fiona Gibson - Free Book Online Page B

interviewer. Why is she doing this anyway? Hannah doesn’t care what anyone wears to the wedding. Yet it’s not about shopping, not really. Hannah and Daisy have never done anything on their own together, because Hannah has always assumed Daisy would either come up with an excuse, like she was planning to stay home and count the woolly tufts on her bedroom rug, or reply with a curt ‘No, thank you.’ But now, with the wedding thundering towards them, she’s decided to stop assuming anything.
    Daisy sucks on a tendril of hair and looks at Hannah as if she’s just suggested a trip to the chiropodist.
    ‘Just me and you, d’you mean?’ she asks cautiously.
    ‘Yes. Wouldn’t that be fun?’
    Daisy pulls her lips into a thin line and nods.
    ‘Great, then,’ Hannah says, turning to leave the bathroom.
    ‘Hannah?’ Daisy has followed her out to the landing.
    ‘Yes?’ Hannah says eagerly.
    ‘Wanna see something in my room?’
    ‘Er, sure.’
    She follows Daisy into her pale turquoise bedroom, carefully treading between the books, clothes and sweet wrappers that litter the floor. Hovering uncertainly, Hannah watches as Daisy crouches down to rummage at the bottom of her wardrobe. Finally, she pulls out a small, black, leather-bound book.
    ‘What’s that?’ Hannah asks.
    ‘Mum and Dad’s wedding album.’ She clutches it in front of her, as if about to present it to Hannah as a prize.
    ‘Oh! That’s nice. Did they, um … give it to you?’
    Daisy perches on the edge of her bed. Hell, Hannah thinks, she’s going to make me look through it. She’s going to make me examine her mother in that billion-sparkles dress. Hannah feels vaguely queasy, and can feel beads of sweat on her upper lip.
    ‘She made me and Josh one each,’ Daisy explains, tossing back her long dark hair. ‘I don’t think he looks at his though.’
    ‘Oh. Well, I guess boys aren’t really into that kind of thing.’
    ‘What, weddings?’
    ‘No, um … looking at wedding photos. You know.’ Hannah’s entire body is now prickling with unease as she tries to conjure up a fictitious emergency downstairs – the smell of burning or gas – that will give her an excuse to charge out of Daisy’s room. She doesn’t want to scare the child by making her think her home is about to explode, but nor does she wish to peruse the album, which Daisy has now opened on her lap to reveal a full-page close-up of Petra’s radiant smiling face.
    Petra doesn’t look like a fat nurse. There’s nothing medical about her whatsoever. She’s so lovely and elegant with her jet-black hair piled up that Hannah’s breath catches in her throat. For an instant, she thinks Daisy must have found a copy of Brides magazine, snipped out a picture and stuck it in the album to trick her. But no, it’s her mother all right – those are Petra’s steely grey eyes, sharp cheekbones and perfectly painted red lips. ‘This is Mummy arriving at church,’ Daisy murmurs, stroking the side of Petra’s face.
    ‘That’s nice.’ Hannah swallows hard.
    ‘And that’s Grandma Esther standing next to Mum,’ Daisy adds, turning the page.
    Hannah feels ridiculous, perching gingerly on Daisy’s bed, and sneakily checks out roughly how many pages the album might have. A dozen or so and she’ll probably be able to hold it together, but this is a chunky album that could conceivably go on forever. ‘Maybe you’d better get your PJs on now,’ she says gently. ‘It’s gone half-eight …’
    ‘Yeah, in a minute. Anyway, look – that’s Daddy in his wedding suit. Is he gonna wear the same one at your wedding?’
    ‘No, he’s having a new one altered, remember?’ Hannah says, willing Ryan to come upstairs, witness the cosy tableau and chivvy Daisy into bed.
    ‘Oh yeah. Look! That’s the dress I was telling you about.’
    Hannah tries to focus on the stunning woman before her. But her head is swimming and she can no longer make proper words come out of her mouth. How can