Lost Innocence (20 page)

‘Are you going straight away?’ Annabelle asked as he carried the vegetables into the kitchen.

‘I’m afraid I have to,’ he answered, glancing at the clock. ‘I’m already in danger of missing the flight.’

‘Remind me where you’re going,’ she said, helping herself to a carrot.

‘Rome. I’ll be back at the weekend. Do you know where Mum is?’

She shook her head. ‘No note, but I expect she’s somewhere with June. She usually is.’

‘OK, I’ll give her a call from the car. Will you be all right?’

She looked at him in surprise. ‘Of course,’ she answered. ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’

He smiled. ‘No idea,’ he said, and after hugging her warmly, which to his great joy she returned, he took himself back to the car.

An hour later Sabrina came to an abrupt halt in the kitchen doorway, hardly able to believe her eyes. ‘Well, that’s a sight I never expected to see,’ she commented, dumping her supermarket bags on a counter top. ‘What on earth are you doing?’

‘If you must know, I’m trying to make a grass skirt,’ Annabelle answered, brushing glue on to the back of a white leather belt.

‘You could have fooled me,’ Sabrina told her. ‘Where did you get the straw?’

‘From a farm shop, where do you think? And if you’re going to stand there making rude comments you can just get lost.’

Sabrina’s eyebrows rose. ‘Actually, I might offer to help if I knew what it was for,’ she said, starting to load up the fridge.

‘It’s a fancy dress party, OK? I’m going as a Hawaiian girl, hence the grass skirt.’

Sabrina looked impressed by the choice. ‘You’ll need a lei,’ she told her.

Annabelle looked up.

‘As in garland,’ Sabrina said, with a roll of her eyes. ‘Whose party is it?’

‘A friend’s.’

‘Does the friend have a name?’

‘
Shit
, it’s not sticking. This is driving me mental. You do it.’

‘Since you ask so charmingly, no.’

‘Oh, Mum, please. I don’t have anything else to wear, so it has to be this.’

Going over to the table, Sabrina looked down at the mess and sighed. ‘You’d do better to stick the straw to paper, then sew it into some fabric,’ she told her.

‘That is a brilliant idea,’ Annabelle cried. ‘I’ll get the sewing machine.’ She was on her feet before she said, ‘Have we got one?’

Sabrina shook her head.

‘Why not?’ Annabelle demanded furiously. ‘Everyone has a sewing machine, except you, of course, because you’re not like normal mothers. You have to buy everything, or get someone else to make it. You never do anything yourself.’

‘This is absolutely not the way to enlist my help,’ Sabrina told her. ‘So unless you calm down and start speaking with a civil tongue in your head you can clear up that mess and go to the ball in rags.’

‘Very funny,’ but Annabelle was too entranced by her idea of wearing a grass skirt to the party to let her frustration get in the way, so assuming her best sweet-girl smile, she said, ‘Please Mummy, will you help?’

Sabrina slanted her a look. ‘I might, when I’ve finished this,’ she replied, ‘but only if you wash the salad before it goes in the fridge.’

Annabelle gave an impatient sigh, but managed to bite back the ripe response that had sprung to her lips. ‘OK, it’s a deal,’ she said. ‘Now, where are we going to get the fabric?’

‘We can probably use an old sheet, then you can cover it with the belt. What are you wearing on the top?’

Annabelle swallowed. ‘I dunno. One of my bikinis, I expect. And a lei. Can you make one of those?’

‘Possibly. You’ll have to go and get some flowers from Mimi, and some wire to string them together.’

‘Will she have the wire too?’

‘She should.’

‘OK, I’ll go now and do the salad when I get back. Shall I put the flowers on your account?’

Sabrina sighed. ‘I suppose so,’ and standing aside for Annabelle to get past, she went to make a closer inspection of the debacle so far. It was such a hopeless effort that a six-year-old could have made a better job, and shaking her head in dismay she went upstairs to find an old sheet, collecting her sewing box from the escritoire in the hall on her way back.

By the time Annabelle returned the skirt was virtually made.

‘Where have you been?’ Sabrina demanded as she came in the door with a bouquet of chrysanths, moon daises, various coloured dahlias and a handful of clarkia.

‘I ran into a couple of friends,’ she answered.

‘You haven’t been mixing with those people on the new estate again, have you?’

‘So what if I have? You’re such a snob, and they go to my school, so I’m hardly going to ignore them, am I? Anyway, is this OK? Did I get enough?’

Sabrina’s expression was sour as she nodded. ‘I think so,’ she responded. ‘Here, try this,’ and biting off the cotton, she swung the skirt up for Annabelle to see.

‘Oh my God, you are a genius,’ Annabelle gushed, grabbing it and holding it against herself. ‘Do you reckon we could dye the straw green?’

‘No,’ Sabrina answered firmly. ‘It’s fine like that. The flowers will brighten it up.’

‘So are you going to do that now?’

‘Looks like I’ll have to. I want you to help, though. I’d also like to know whose party it is, and where it’s being held.’

Annabelle gave a long-suffering sigh. ‘It’s at Theo McAllister’s, OK? You know his mother, Jemima.’

‘You’re right, I do, so I also know that Theo’s nineteen. Don’t you think you’re a little young to be going…’

‘Oh for God’s sake, you are so ageist. No one cares about that sort of stuff any more. We’re all friends, that’s what matters.’

‘But how does someone your age get to be friends with someone who’s already at uni? It’s not as though you’re seeing one another at school.’

‘We just know people in common, OK?’

‘Which people?’

‘Oh, Mum, give it a rest.’

‘These are reasonable questions. I don’t understand why you’re being so defensive.’

With another impatient sigh, Annabelle said, ‘Georgie’s cousin Hugh is at Manchester with him, OK? And Cat’s sister used to go out with him. Satisfied now?’

She was, and wasn’t, but as this was showing all the signs of deteriorating into yet another flaming row she decided to let it go. ‘Where’s the wire?’ she asked.

‘In the bag. Shall I start cutting the heads off the flowers?’

‘I think you’d better let me do that. You can get on with the salad, but put the sewing box away first.’

‘Where does it belong?’

‘If you ever did anything for yourself you’d know it lives in the bottom drawer of the escritoire.’

Annabelle wrinkled her nose. ‘What’s that when it’s at home?’

‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, just leave it and get on with the lettuce.’

Annabelle grinned. ‘Just joking,’ she said. ‘I know what an escritoire is,’ and scooping up the sewing box she carried it off to the hall. By the time she came back Sabrina was starting to snip at the dahlias.

‘So what are you doing tonight?’ Annabelle asked, searching for the salad spinner.

‘June and I are going to the gym for an hour,’ Sabrina answered, ‘and we’ll probably stay on for dinner.’

‘Sounds cool. Actually, I wouldn’t mind a membership of Babington for my sixteenth.’

‘If I thought you’d use it you might be in with a chance. It’s something we could do together.’

‘Yeah, well, on second thoughts…’

Trying not to be hurt by the reply, Sabrina let it slide and worked on in silence for a while, mulling over the chat she’d had with Robert on the phone about Annabelle and where her money was going.

For her part Annabelle was thinking about how she was going to blow everyone’s minds when she turned up as a Hawaiian girl tonight.

In the end, when Annabelle had finished washing the lettuce and came to sit at the table, Sabrina said, ‘There’s something I’d like to ask you.’

‘What’s that?’ Annabelle responded distractedly. She was inspecting Sabrina’s handiwork so far and liking what she saw. ‘Oh my God, you’re not about to do the drug thing are you,’ she said, suddenly connecting. ‘I already told Robert, it’s not an issue.’

‘I hope that’s the truth,’ Sabrina said, trying to meet her eyes, but Annabelle was still focused on the flowers.

‘No, it’s a lie,’ Annabelle retorted sarcastically, ‘because as we all know everything I say…’

‘All right, all right,’ Sabrina interrupted. ‘Actually, it wasn’t only about that,’ she went on, and in spite of knowing this wasn’t likely to have a good outcome, she braced herself and said, ‘I’d like to know if you’re still a virgin?’

There was a beat before Annabelle’s head came up. Her expression was pure outrage. ‘That is so none of your business,’ she told her.

‘Actually, everything you do is my business,’ Sabrina corrected, ‘and that wasn’t an answer. So are you?’

‘I’m sorry, but I don’t have these conversations with anyone but my closest friends.’

‘I’m going to take it from that, that you’re not,’ Sabrina said, feeling a horrible sense of failure creeping over her.

‘Take it how you want, it’s up to you.’

Going back to what she was doing in an effort to hide the tears that had sprung to her eyes, Sabrina said, ‘I hope you’re using contraception.’

‘Oh, puhlease, can we just drop this now?’

‘I’m just saying, if you are sexually active, you need to be using condoms. And that’s not me giving my permission for you to be intimate with boys, I simply want you to be safe if you are.’

‘Mum, everything’s sorted, OK? Put it out of your head and stop embarrassing us both.’

Sabrina took a breath. ‘Of course, if you are still a virgin…’

‘Oh, for Christ’s sake,’ Annabelle shouted, springing to her feet, ‘you are driving me mental here. I do what I want to do, OK?’

‘No, it’s very far from OK, and if you’re going to take that attitude we can stop what we’re doing right now and you can stay home this evening.’

Annabelle gritted her teeth as she seethed with frustration. ‘You are so infuriating,’ she growled. ‘Here we are, sitting having a nice time, and you have to go and spoil it all with this stupid conversation.’

‘I’m sorry, I’m just trying to…’

‘Upset me, like you always do. Well you’ve succeeded, happy now?’

‘That wasn’t my intention. I simply want to…’

‘If you don’t shut up,
right now
, I’m walking out of here.’

‘Don’t speak to me like that. I’m your mother, you’ll show me some respect or you really will be grounded.’

‘I’m going to that party tonight, and if you try to stop me you’ll be sorry.’

Sabrina’s face paled as she looked at her. ‘Are you threatening me?’ she asked.

‘I’m just telling you, get out of my hair.’

Sabrina dropped the wire and flowers. ‘Go to your room,’ she said, ‘and you can put all thoughts of going to that party out of your head, because it’s not going to happen.’

‘You can’t stop me.’

Sabrina rose to her feet, and grabbing hold of Annabelle’s arm she began hauling her towards the door.

‘Get your hands off me,’ Annabelle snapped, twisting herself free. ‘You can’t tell me what to do.’

Sabrina’s face was white with anger. ‘Oh yes I can, and you’re grounded for the rest of the summer.’

‘No fucking way,’ Annabelle sneered and made to push past her.

Catching her by the shoulders Sabrina tried to turn her back, but Annabelle chopped her hands away and shoved her against the wall.

‘Annabelle!’ Sabrina cried as Annabelle grabbed her bag and the grass skirt and started for the door. ‘Come back here.’

Ignoring her, Annabelle stormed out of the kitchen and down to the gate. Sabrina went after her, but by the time she ran into the cul de sac Annabelle was already rounding the corner into the high street. Since she had no transport she’d no doubt go straight to Tom Sebastian’s for a taxi, so going back indoors Sabrina picked up the phone.

Luckily, both drivers were out on jobs, which meant Annabelle would either have to wait for a car to come back, or take the bus. Even if she was still in the village, Sabrina had no intention of risking a showdown for all to see, so she tried Annabelle’s mobile. Finding herself diverted to voicemail, she was about to leave a message when the landline rang. Snatching it up she drew breath to snap angrily at Annabelle, but then noticed the caller ID just in time. Her tone changed completely as she said, ‘Jennifer, what a lovely surprise. Robert and I were only talking about you the other night, wondering how you are.’

‘Oh, we’re fine,’ came the reply in an unmistakably American accent. ‘How are you?’

‘Never better,’ Sabrina assured her, and with all thoughts of Annabelle eclipsed by the possibility of receiving a highly prized invitation to the Bingleigh family villa on the Cap d’Antibes sometime in August, she settled down to give her full attention to the call.

* * *

‘Annabelle? Is that you?’ Alicia said, coming in from the patio and spotting the girl standing in the shop window staring out into the street.

Annabelle spun round and waved. She was talking to someone on her mobile, but rang off as Alicia came through to the front. ‘Hi,’ she said, ‘I’m waiting for a taxi to pick me up, so I thought I’d drop in to see how you’re getting on.’

Knowing instinctively it was a lie, or at least not the entire truth, Alicia said, ‘As you can see, it’s coming together. We might, I stress might, be ready to open in a couple of weeks.’
Tell that to your mother,
she thought angrily.

‘Cool. Are you going to have some kind of party?’

Since she wasn’t about to admit to Annabelle that she couldn’t afford one, she said, ‘I’ve been thinking about it, but I’m not sure yet.’

Annabelle glanced back out to the street, then looked around again, taking in the newly painted walls and empty space where the counter used to be. Then her eyes came to Alicia’s and for a startling moment Alicia thought they were misted with tears.

‘I used to love it when Grandma had this shop,’ Annabelle said croakily, gazing round again. ‘I’d come over here all the time, and she’d let me sort through the stuff that came in.’ She gave a wavery sort of smile. ‘Do you remember how me and Darcie dressed up that year, for Christmas?’ she said. ‘We had all those beads and things, and Nat made a top hat out of cardboard and decorated it with tinsel.’