Read Online The Tennis Party by Sophie Kinsella - Free Book Online

here. And Georgina’s very good with her.’
    ‘So I noticed,’ said Charles. ‘There’s a lot to that young lady.’
    ‘Are they still in the paddock?’ asked Annie. ‘I might go and have a look.’
    Charles shook his head.
    ‘They were just finishing,’ he said. ‘Georgina was beginning to organize them all into some game or other. Including our two,’ he added to Cressida,‘and Martina, believe it or not. That’s our nanny,’ he explained. ‘Georgina seems to have her well under control.’
    ‘What on earth are they all doing?’ said Annie. ‘They’re a bit of a mixed bag to be playing together.’ Charles shrugged.
    ‘I don’t want to know. Let them get on with it.’ He looked up and gave a smile of surprise. ‘At last! Patrick, where have you been?’ He went forward and grasped Patrick warmly by the hand.
    ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t around when you arrived,’ said Patrick. ‘Ah, Cressida, there you are.’ As he went to kiss her, his eyes fell on Caroline’s grinning face and he looked away. ‘Right, who’s on next?’
    ‘Annie and Stephen,’ said Don. ‘Against Charles and Cressida, as a matter of fact.’
    ‘Splendid,’ said Charles. ‘Come on, Cress, let’s go and warm up.’
    The Mobyns made an elegant couple on court, both well-schooled in the strokes, agile and deft. Cressida began hitting some practice serves, and Don turned to Valerie.
    ‘I can see we’ve some competition here,’ he said. ‘Look at the way her serve spins away from the forehand. You’ll have to be careful with that.’ Valerie was staring, awe-struck, at Cressida.
    ‘She’s really good,’ she said.
    ‘His serve is harder, but probably easier to return. More straightforward,’ continued Don.
    ‘She looks a bit like Princess Diana,’ said Valerie. Stephen raised his eyebrows at Annie.
    ‘Well, you never know,’ he said conversationally. ‘She might be related to her.’
    ‘Ooh! really?’ Valerie swung round.
    ‘I don’t think so,’ said Annie firmly, glaring at Stephen. But he was not to be put off.
    ‘Her mother was the Honourable something,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘Or was it Lady something? Very smart, anyway, I know that much. And I’m sure I’ve heard something about a royal connection.’ He nodded wisely at Valerie, who was staring at him, agog.
    ‘Well,’ she said, ‘I must say . . .’
    ‘Valerie,’ interrupted Don, ‘watch the way Cressida guards the net. She’ll be difficult to pass. Look, her eye never leaves the ball.’
    Annie and Stephen joined the court and began to knock up with Charles and Cressida. Both Charles and Cressida considerately modified their games slightly as they realized the standard of the Fairweathers. But even so, every second ball Stephen hit seemed to go in the net. Annie was slightly better, but as Charles gave her a few practice volleys, she turned and looked at Stephen in dismay.
    ‘He hits it so hard!’ she wailed. ‘I’ll never get any of these!’
    ‘Don’t worry,’ said Stephen. ‘It’s the playing that counts.’
    ‘Yes, but what if you can’t play?’
    Caroline was watching Cressida critically.
    ‘She thinks she’s in bloody Wimbledon or something,’ she said disparagingly.
    ‘Who, Annie?’ said Patrick in mock surprise. ‘I wouldn’t have said so.’
    ‘Very funny,’ said Caroline. ‘Just look at her,’ she persisted, watching as Cressida neatly put away a backhand volley. ‘Thinks she’s a bloody pro.’
    ‘She’s got a nice technique,’ said Patrick. ‘We could all learn from her.’ He looked around. ‘Where’s Georgina? She should watch a bit of this.’
    ‘Christ knows,’ said Caroline. ‘She said she’d be ballgirl. That didn’t last long.’
    ‘The play’s The Three Little Pigs ,’ said Georgina firmly. ‘The reason is, we all know the story, and the little ones can be the pigs.’ She looked at the twins. ‘Can you be pigs?’
    ‘The pigs are the most important people,’ objected