A Trick of the Light by Ali Carter (books for 5 year olds to read themselves TXT) 📗

Felicity and Jane are new friends, having met at a local book club in Gloucestershire, and both admitted (with an honest giggle) they don’t have any friends in common. No surprise. Jane’s haughty manner and disregard for personal appearance was a far cry from Felicity’s mellifluous tone and pastel colours. Maybe that’s why they’ve decided to trek all the way to Scotland for a painting week, as surely Gloucestershire has a few on offer?

The shrill of the front doorbell stopped my rumination. Zoe dashed out the room and soon returned, telling her ‘angel’ he was wanted too. Rupert and I got up to do the clearing and found Mhàiri in the kitchen looking a lot calmer than last night.

‘They fixed the window quick,’ I said.

‘Aye, they did that.’ Mhàiri pushed Rupert away from the sink. ‘Don’t yous be getting yer hands dirty. There’ll be nothing for me to do.’ He chuckled and left the room.

‘Zoe telt me aboot yous flat tyre, Susie. That drive I bet it’s what did it.’

‘Yes, I think you’re right,’ I smiled. Mhàiri and I were going to be friends.

‘Well, hen, if yous have a spare tyre in the boot?’

‘Yes.’

‘Leave yous keys on the hall table this afternoon and I’ll telt me husband to get it seen to.’

‘Thank you very much.’

‘Ne bother. I’ll watch yer back if yous watch mine?’

She really was asking the question.

‘Yes,’ I replied, assuming it must be a friendly turn of phrase.

‘Here yous go.’ Mhàiri handed me a tray of coffee and flapjacks. ‘Be a hen and take it through.’

‘Sure.’ I stuck my foot out and pushed open the swing door. Fergus was explaining he’d be taking us to the fishing hut this afternoon. ‘I thought it’d be a lovely place to paint.’

Minty excused herself, and once Lianne and Shane had taken two flapjacks each, they also left the room.

‘We’ll meet in the hall at two-thirty,’ I called out. ‘Fully dressed in outdoor kit.’

‘Right ya, Miss,’ came hurtling back. I smiled; Shane’s bumptiousness appealed to my humour.

‘Surprisingly well behaved that Peckham pair,’ said Jane as I bit my born-and-bred Kennington tongue, swallowing the words, ‘Manners do stretch south of the river, you know.’

‘I completely agree,’ nodded Rupert, ‘and on that note, I’m going to boot-up for the landscape painting. Golly gosh, I’m looking forward to it.’

‘I bought fingerless gloves for the occasion,’ Felicity literally bounced up out of her chair.

‘Susie,’ said Fergus, ‘come with me and we’ll work out how I’m going to get you all to the river.’

‘You must take Haggis,’ said Zoe, ‘he so loves a trip to the fishing hut.’

We all piled into the minibus, with Fergus behind the wheel, and halfway down the front drive he put his foot on the brake. Rupert then willingly opened a gate, Fergus pushed the gearstick into four-wheel-drive and we bumped on down a track towards the river. Most of the snow in the fields has melted with only a few humps remaining in the hollows. The trees have shaken it from their branches and the ground is soggy with excess water. Not that this is a problem, we all have our boots on. Minty’s are by far the smartest. ‘Dubarry’s,’ she told Lianne who looked upon them with envy – her hardware store alternatives are going to be cold.

The river Trickle is handsome and strong and as Fergus drove alongside it the water ran black, tumbling over and gushing round great big boulders of rock – I could see scum forming on the nearby grass. Fergus warned of a very dangerous undercurrent and when the wooden fishing hut came into sight, I thought thank goodness it’s set back from the steep riverbank. The bus drew up behind it and together with easels and bags of equipment we all piled out. Giles, with a nudge from Rupert, began to pull his weight, helping Felicity and Jane tread carefully across a particularly damp patch. Fergus turned over a stone and picked up a key.

‘Here,’ he said as he threw it to Shane, ‘unlock the door will you. There’s a table inside you can put your things on.’

Then, calling Haggis to heel, he told me, ‘I’m just going to take this little chap on a potter.’

‘Okay,’ I smiled, ‘see you later.’

‘Have a look in here,’ called Felicity. Her head was poking out of the hut’s double door. ‘It’s terribly sweet and there’s a mini woodburner we can light if it gets cold.’

Inside the place smelt of fresh pine, and Felicity was right: the curtains, made from Muchton tweed, a brown and green herringbone weave, gave the interior enormous charm.

‘We must get going,’ I encouraged; I didn’t want people to start sitting down. ‘Pick a view close by so you can hear me, and put up your easels.’

Shane wasn’t happy. ‘Miss,’ he said. ‘This is going to be impossible. I ain’t ever painted countryside before.’

‘I agree,’ said Jane. ‘How do you expect us to work out here?’

‘Can’t we go for a walk instead?’ said Minty, most likely longing to burn off lunch.

‘I think you should give it a go. Just a small picture. I’ve got primed paper if anyone would like some?’

‘Yes please’, ‘Yes please’, ‘Yes please’, everyone replied.

Giles and Minty seemed confident they knew what they were doing, Rupert hadn’t ever painted before, Jane came with pastels for her and Felicity, Shane told me video art’s his medium, Louis was a photographer, as we know, and Lianne didn’t care for painting – ‘Performance art is more my kinda thing.’

‘Well, today we’ll all try oils and see how we get on. I have plenty of paint so hold out your palettes and I’ll give you a splodge.’

‘Are you sure?’ said Rupert. ‘I bought my own.’

‘I’m sure. It’s quicker this way. We’ve got to work fast, it’s too cold to waste any time.’

‘Quite right,’ said Jane.

‘Can I work separately?’ asked Minty.

‘Me too?’ said Giles.

‘Of course. No problem, but would you mind going over there a bit?’

They trundled