the one hand is cool because he won’t have met anyone
new, but on the other is the total pits because if he’s going to be away for the festival, I won’t get a chance to pull him!’
‘You’re outrageous!’ Frankie laughed.
‘Well, if you were a bit more outrageous, you just might make more progress with Ned,’ Lulu replied pointedly. ‘Anyway, enough about my disastrous love life. You said
something happened on Sunday?’
Frankie thought back to what had happened.
‘So you’ve surfaced at last,’ she’d teased, as Ned appeared at the kitchen door on Sunday morning. ‘Finally slept off the effects of last night then?’
‘I’ve been up ages,’ he had replied. ‘I wanted to talk to Dad and I had to work out the time difference. Guess what? He said yes!’
‘I guess he couldn’t really say no,’ Frankie reasoned. ‘They’re both over eighteen and —’
‘Not about the engagement,’ Ned said. ‘Nick had already won him over by phoning before he asked Mia. No, I mean he was cool about Alice using our field and paddock to graze her
horse. What’s more, I’m going to clean out the old stable so she can use that too. I can’t wait to tell her. I’m off to the Grants now.’
‘Can’t you just ring her?’
‘Well I could, but I wanted to see her face when she heard the news. Besides, I thought now was as good a time as any for her to have her first driving lesson. Well, not her first ever,
but her first with me.’
‘Oh.’ Jealousy had gnawed at Frankie’s stomach with an intensity that took her by surprise. ‘I thought . . . I mean you did say you’d take me out driving
before lunch.’
‘Did I? Oh, so I did. Sorry. Still, we can do it any time, can’t we? This afternoon – we’ll go then. It’ll be a good excuse to escape because Verity Rushworth is
coming over to talk engagement announcements and photos in Country Life with Mum!’
‘And . . .’ she’d hesitated.
‘What?’ Frankie detected a faint note of impatience in his voice.
‘Nothing.’
‘No, go on. Do you need me for something else?’
Yes, but I’m not likely to get it , she thought.
‘It’s just that when I told Nerys and Tina about my prize, Nerys was really shirty.’
‘Ignore her,’ he replied airily. ‘You know what she’s like with you – anything that makes you look cleverer than Mia or Jemma, and she’s on you like a ton of
bricks. Like I’ve told you a dozen times before, she never had kids of her own and when the girls were little and Mum was still modelling, she looked after them a lot. Well, us boys too, of
course, but she was always keener on the girly stuff! Mia’s always been her favourite, though. She can’t bear to think anyone might outshine her.’
Frankie had pulled a face.
‘If you get the grades you need for Newcastle – anything better than Mia’s A and two Bs – she’ll probably accuse the exam board of making a mistake!’ Ned
laughed. ‘Don’t let it get to you.’
‘But she also said that if I went to the festival, I’d be insulting your dad. Something about me deliberately going against his principles.’
‘Now that’s downright crazy,’ Ned had said. ‘We’re all going to the festival, yet she makes it sound as if you’re the one rebel in the family! It’s true
that Dad was pretty anti it when it started a few years back – wrote to the papers and all that stuff. And there’s no way he’d let them use our fields, or have access over any
part of our property because of the conservation issues. But he’s not stupid: he knows he can’t stop any of us going. I’m going to be there practically
twenty-four/seven.’
‘You are?’
‘Sure – Kids Out There are running a play area and I’m on the team. Anyway, Dad’ll be in Mexico and won’t know what’s going on, will he? Stop worrying! Now I
must get over to Alice’s.’ He’d grinned at Frankie. ‘I might not be back for a while.’
‘And you reckon he’s really keen
new, but on the other is the total pits because if he’s going to be away for the festival, I won’t get a chance to pull him!’
‘You’re outrageous!’ Frankie laughed.
‘Well, if you were a bit more outrageous, you just might make more progress with Ned,’ Lulu replied pointedly. ‘Anyway, enough about my disastrous love life. You said
something happened on Sunday?’
Frankie thought back to what had happened.
‘So you’ve surfaced at last,’ she’d teased, as Ned appeared at the kitchen door on Sunday morning. ‘Finally slept off the effects of last night then?’
‘I’ve been up ages,’ he had replied. ‘I wanted to talk to Dad and I had to work out the time difference. Guess what? He said yes!’
‘I guess he couldn’t really say no,’ Frankie reasoned. ‘They’re both over eighteen and —’
‘Not about the engagement,’ Ned said. ‘Nick had already won him over by phoning before he asked Mia. No, I mean he was cool about Alice using our field and paddock to graze her
horse. What’s more, I’m going to clean out the old stable so she can use that too. I can’t wait to tell her. I’m off to the Grants now.’
‘Can’t you just ring her?’
‘Well I could, but I wanted to see her face when she heard the news. Besides, I thought now was as good a time as any for her to have her first driving lesson. Well, not her first ever,
but her first with me.’
‘Oh.’ Jealousy had gnawed at Frankie’s stomach with an intensity that took her by surprise. ‘I thought . . . I mean you did say you’d take me out driving
before lunch.’
‘Did I? Oh, so I did. Sorry. Still, we can do it any time, can’t we? This afternoon – we’ll go then. It’ll be a good excuse to escape because Verity Rushworth is
coming over to talk engagement announcements and photos in Country Life with Mum!’
‘And . . .’ she’d hesitated.
‘What?’ Frankie detected a faint note of impatience in his voice.
‘Nothing.’
‘No, go on. Do you need me for something else?’
Yes, but I’m not likely to get it , she thought.
‘It’s just that when I told Nerys and Tina about my prize, Nerys was really shirty.’
‘Ignore her,’ he replied airily. ‘You know what she’s like with you – anything that makes you look cleverer than Mia or Jemma, and she’s on you like a ton of
bricks. Like I’ve told you a dozen times before, she never had kids of her own and when the girls were little and Mum was still modelling, she looked after them a lot. Well, us boys too, of
course, but she was always keener on the girly stuff! Mia’s always been her favourite, though. She can’t bear to think anyone might outshine her.’
Frankie had pulled a face.
‘If you get the grades you need for Newcastle – anything better than Mia’s A and two Bs – she’ll probably accuse the exam board of making a mistake!’ Ned
laughed. ‘Don’t let it get to you.’
‘But she also said that if I went to the festival, I’d be insulting your dad. Something about me deliberately going against his principles.’
‘Now that’s downright crazy,’ Ned had said. ‘We’re all going to the festival, yet she makes it sound as if you’re the one rebel in the family! It’s true
that Dad was pretty anti it when it started a few years back – wrote to the papers and all that stuff. And there’s no way he’d let them use our fields, or have access over any
part of our property because of the conservation issues. But he’s not stupid: he knows he can’t stop any of us going. I’m going to be there practically
twenty-four/seven.’
‘You are?’
‘Sure – Kids Out There are running a play area and I’m on the team. Anyway, Dad’ll be in Mexico and won’t know what’s going on, will he? Stop worrying! Now I
must get over to Alice’s.’ He’d grinned at Frankie. ‘I might not be back for a while.’
‘And you reckon he’s really keen
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