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‘Well, um…’
‘And why are there thirty-two fingers?’
I smiled to myself. ‘Let’s just say I’m hopeful.’
*~*~**~*~*
‘Away for weeks?’ Eve stared at me aghast. ‘But we wanted to stage a protest in Hyde Park next week! Don’t you remember? We’ve already started to paint the signs, and Flora has been working for months on building up the courage to ask her mother to let her come!’
‘I know, I know.’ I hung my head. ‘But I can’t make it. I promise, I’ll be back in time for our demonstration during the general election, but I have to leave for now. Something came up.’
‘What?’ Eve demanded. ‘What could possibly be more important than this?’
‘That’s what I’d like to know, too,’ Patsy chimed in. ‘How can you forsake us in our hour of need?’
‘I’m not. Honestly, I’m not. I’m just asking you to postpone your hour of need a little bit.’
‘And why, exactly?’ Patsy was relentless. ‘What is so important that you have to forsake your friends, your principles, all that makes your life worth living?’
Not all. There’s so much more you don’t know about…
‘I, um…have to take a little trip up north.’
‘A trip?’ I could almost see the steam rising out of Patsy’s ears. ‘You’re forsaking us for a holiday?’
‘No! Of course not!’ Whatever my journey north would be - a holiday wasn’t it. Mr Rikkard Ambrose would see to that. ‘I would never! It’s more…well…some important matter I have to take care of.’
Three pairs of suspicious eyes bored into me. Then, suddenly, Eve gasped, and her eyes widened in understanding.
‘Of course! A trip north. Why didn’t I see it right away?’
‘See what?’ Patsy demanded.
But instead of answering her, Eve turned to Flora. ‘Flora - in those books you like so much, what is the only reason girls ever travel up north to Scotland?’
Flora blinked, taken aback - and then, suddenly, her eyes widened, too. ‘Oh no!’
‘Oh yes!’ Triumphantly, Eve turned back to me. ‘Our Lilly is eloping!’
My mouth dropped open.
‘What?’ The word that came out of Patsy’s mouth was half harpy’s shriek, half blood-thirsty warcry.
‘Ooooh yes.’ Eve was practically hopping up and down with excitement. ‘Our Lilly has found herself a paramour, and she’s going to run off with him, and they’re going to travel all the way up the big north road to Scotland, you know, that little village right on the border called Gretna Green[2], where you can get married no matter where you’re from or how old you are, and your parents or guardians can’t do anything about it! And it’s gonna be a big scandal, and she’ll be infamous, and all of the people in the street will point at her and say “See? That’s the girl who ran away!” and we’ll be infamous, too, because we’re her friends! And her aunt will throw herself from the rooftop because of the shame - oh, that will be great fun! - and her uncle will forbid her to ever come into his house again, and it will all be so exciting!’
Flora’s eyes went even bigger. ‘R-really? Lilly is going to run away with a man?’
‘She’s been corrupted by the insidious influence of patriarchy,’ Patsy pronounced, sinisterly.
‘Oh! That’s so romantic.’
I had listened open-mouthed up to that point, but now it was high time to intervene.
‘Now wait a minute, everyone.’ I raised a hand. ‘I most certainly don’t plan to-’
‘Romantic? No, it’s not!’ Patsy talked right over me, rounding on Flora. ‘How can you say such a thing? Lilly is forsaking her friends, her life’s work…and for what? For a man?’
‘For love!’
