Page 33 of The Only Way Is Up

She chuckled. ‘Buckle up, my friend. This is a really good story.’

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Daisy and Melanie were waiting by the gate to the rectory when Will loped out of the front door, huge headphones clamped to his head, backpack falling off one shoulder and his eyes firmly on his school shoes. It was the last day of term, and they’d decided now was the best time to tell him about the trip, away from Gerald so he didn’t have to worry about any negative reaction.

Will didn’t notice them until he looked up to open the gate and discovered a Two Mum Ambush.

‘What is it?’ he asked fearfully, yanking off the headphones. It sounded like Stormzy to Daisy, and she briefly wondered how impressed Will would be if she told him he was a good friend of Christian’s, or that she’d recently watched him perform from the side of the stage at a gig in London, then partied half the night with him and his crew. Probably not very impressed at all, if Ruby was anything to go by.

‘Nothing bad has happened, I promise,’ said Melanie calmly, making Daisy wonder how many times she’d had to be the bearer of bad news. ‘We’ve got something to tell you.’

Will looked from his mother to Daisy and back again. ‘Is Ruby OK?’ he asked suspiciously.

Daisy laughed. ‘Ruby’s fine! She’ll be here this afternoon. Oh, and Justin is having a pig roast tonight at the headmaster’s house, and you’re both invited. And your dad, obviously.’

‘Prue or Nigella?’ asked Will.

‘Prue,’ said Daisy. ‘Nigella’s been liberated.’

Melanie looked confused, then slightly overwhelmed. ‘Goodness! I don’t really know Justin at all. We’ve really only met in passing. Why am I invited?’

‘Because I asked him to,’ said Daisy. ‘So we can make plans.’ She looked at Will. ‘Do you want to tell him, or shall I?’

Melanie clapped her hands happily. ‘You tell him.’

Daisy turned to Will. ‘Skiing. You. Ruby. Me. Your mum. Austria. We’re going tomorrow. For a week.’

Will’s mouth opened then closed a few times, like a goldfish. He dropped his rucksack on the path. ‘Are you fucking serious?’ He turned to his mum with a blush. ‘Sorry, Mum, my bad . . . What do you mean? Why? How?’

Daisy shrugged. ‘Tomorrow is Ruby’s sixteenth birthday, and that’s what she wants for her present.’

Will said nothing as this information slowly sank in. Then his face broke into the biggest smile Daisy had ever seen.

In the afternoon Daisy drove over to Milton Park to pick up Ruby, piling her bags into the car as her friends waved them off and took sneaky photos of Daisy with their phones. On the way home, Daisy filled her daughter in on the itinerary for skiing and felt gratified by Ruby’s childlike excitement. It had been a headache of a week, but already it was feeling like it had been totally worth it. Everything was organised – the flight tickets and insurance details were printed off with the help of Tom’s secretary, Angela, and she’d upgraded the airport transfer taxi to a people carrier. She’d also emailed the housekeeper in the resort, asking her to make up four of the six bedrooms and attaching a list of groceries that would see them through the first day or two.

Vergallen was small, friendly and quintessentially Austrian, and they’d been going there for years, but any suggestion Daisy made about going somewhere new was always brushed off by Ruby, who liked the nostalgia and familiarity, as well as the luxury, of somewhere known and loved. Perhaps, Daisy realised now, because there was so much chaos in their lives otherwise. She tried not to feel guilty, but hopefully with Christian out of their lives that would change. Ruby would definitely be turning cartwheels when she heard.

‘What are we doing this evening?’ Ruby asked as Daisy turned the car onto the narrow road to Shipton Combe.

‘Well, I hadn’t planned anything really, since we’re going away tomorrow. But if you fancy it, we’ve been invited to a gathering.’

Ruby looked dubious. ‘What kind of gathering?’

‘It’s called a Pig in a Blanket – it’s in the garden of the headmaster’s house.’ Daisy grinned at Ruby’s confused expression. ‘Justin next door is roasting half a pig. We’ve been invited to help him eat it, and drink some of his homemade cider.’

Ruby scrunched up her nose. ‘Hmm, doesn’t really sound like my kind of thing. Also didn’t you say the headmaster was an absolute knob?’

Daisy laughed. ‘He’s grown on me considerably – and Justin’s good fun. Also your granny will be there, and I’m sure she’d love to see you before we go away.’ Ruby nodded, although she still didn’t look keen. Daisy added casually, ‘Oh, Will is coming. Don’t know if that makes any difference.’

Ruby’s face lit up, then blushed a deep red. ‘Oh. Well. OK.’

Daisy huddled on one side of Tom’s patio with Stella, clutching a glass of cider in her mittened hands. It was lethal stuff, and much as she was enjoying its warming qualities, she had to drive to the airport at 5 a.m., so one glass was definitely enough. Stella, on the other hand, was probably three glasses in.

‘I’m just saying that it would have been nice to be invited,’ griped Stella.

Daisy focused on her yogic breathing. ‘Are you saying you want to come skiing? Because there’s still time.’ There wasn’t time at all, but she was banking on Stella not remembering this conversation in the morning.

Stella shook her head vehemently, the pompoms on her rainbow-striped hat flapping madly. ‘Good lord, no! Can’t think of anything worse. I’d just like to know that I was welcome if I DID want to come.’