Dancing the Charleston Read online

  I took a deep breath. ‘He’s gone to a dressmaker in London,’ I said in a rush.

  Aunty frowned. ‘I’m a dressmaker in London. In Harrods. The best department store in Britain,’ she pointed out.

  ‘Yes, but I think this other person is French. You know how fancy people think anything French is better – they even cook their beef the French way and give it a funny name,’ I said. ‘Don’t be upset, Aunty. You wouldn’t have time to make heaps of costumes, not with all your other work.’

  Aunty sniffed. ‘Have they invited you to this ball, Mona?‘

  ‘Yes, but I’m not sure I want to go. It sounds a bit silly. I wish it was a proper ball like in “Cinderella”,’ I said.

  ‘Well, that wouldn’t be Mr Benjamin’s way, would it?’ It was the nearest Aunty had ever come to criticizing him. ‘I’ll make your costume, Mona. What would you like to go as?’

  ‘Well, I’d have liked to be a mermaid, but Esmeralda’s going to be one,’ I said, sighing.

  ‘You can be one too,’ said Aunty.

  ‘Yes, but I won’t look nearly as good. She’s got much longer, thicker hair than me, and Desiree is giving her a green beaded dress for a tail.’

  ‘I’ll make you a better mermaid costume, just you wait and see,’ said Aunty, her chin up.

  ‘Will you really?’ I asked. ‘And what will you go as?’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ she said, starting to sketch a design.

  ‘You’re invited. Mr Benjamin said you must come,’ I said.

  ‘Oh, he did, did he? Well, Mr Benjamin’s very kind, but I’m declining. You shall go though, Mona. And you’ll be wearing the best costume of the lot, you just wait and see.’

  Mr Benjamin bowed and took her hand.

  20

  She made me the most beautiful mermaid costume. The top half was pale pink silk, so that it looked like flesh – ‘But you’re still perfectly respectable,’ she said. Then I had a wide green satin sash around my waist, with chain-stitched cockle shells all around it. I wasn’t too sure about the mermaid tail though. Aunty had fashioned a Turkish bloomers affair out of more green satin, and she’d covered my old slippers in satin too.

  ‘But it’s not a proper tail, Aunty, it’s trousers,’ I said.

  ‘If you stand with your legs together and your feet turned out, it makes a perfect tail, but you’ll be able to move about. You can’t wear an actual tail, silly, or you’ll just have to lie there like a log all evening, not joining in,’ she told me.

  ‘I don’t think I’ll be joining in anyway,’ I said. ‘I don’t know what you do at a ball. And I won’t know many people there. I won’t belong.’

  ‘Yes you will!’ said Aunty fiercely. ‘You know how fond Mr Benjamin is of you. And you’re great friends with Marcella too. You stick with her. You’ll have the time of your life. There’ll be lovely food. Ella said that in Lady Somerset’s day they had meringues and ice cream and strawberries and the finest champagne.’

  ‘Can I have champagne?’

  ‘Don’t be so silly, of course not! You’ll have lovely lemonade or some such.’ Aunty paused. ‘Unless they take you for a real mermaid and feed you a bucket of herrings.’

  I knew it was a beautiful costume, even though I wasn’t sure about the bloomers, but I wished I looked more beautiful in it. I kept thinking of curvy Esmeralda and her long golden hair. I’d look so small and skimpy beside her, and although my hair grew down to my shoulder blades it was as straight as a poker.

  ‘I know what we’ll do,’ said Aunty, the morning of the ball. She washed my hair and then plaited it into twenty thin braids, breathing hard with concentration.

  ‘But I look weird, Aunty,’ I wailed, peering into the mirror. ‘You can see my scalp now!’

  ‘You won’t look weird when I brush your plaits out later,’ she said. ‘Trust me, Mona.’

  ‘But what if someone sees me like this?’ I worried that Roland might appear.

  ‘No one’s going to come. They’ll all be busy preparing for the ball. You stay home with me and read your books. You can always help me with a bit of sewing if you get restless.’

  It was a very long day. I couldn’t concentrate on any of my favourite stories, and the book I’d borrowed from Old Molly’s library was a silly mystery story with the last pages torn out. I tacked a few hems for Aunty, keeping close to her pins, but the flimsy material bunched up in my hands and she had to pull out all my thread and start again herself. I played with Sixpence, throwing her toy mouse again and again so that she could pounce on it, but eventually she tired of the game. In the afternoon we curled up on my bed together and went to sleep.

  Aunty woke me at six with a cup of tea and a biscuit. ‘Here now, have a little sip and nibble. You won’t need a proper supper – you’ll be eating all sorts of fancy things at the ball. Wash your face and clean your teeth after, and then we’ll get you into your costume and sort out your hair,’ she said.

  I did as I was told, and then sat on a stool while Aunty patiently unplaited my hair and then started brushing it out.

  ‘There!’ she said at last, standing back and peering at me, her head on one side. ‘Go and look in the mirror and see what you think now.’

  I had a knot in my stomach, terrified I’d look ridiculous, but when I saw myself I caught my breath. My hair had been transformed into a thick, curly cloud.

  ‘Oh, Aunty, it’s magic!’ I whispered. ‘I look pretty!’

  ‘Now don’t start getting big-headed!’ she said, but she looked pleased. ‘Right then, my girl. Off you go. Have a lovely time. You can stay till ten. Keep an eye on the time now. I’m sure Mr Benjamin will make sure someone sees you home in the dark.’

  She gave me a kiss on the cheek and went to the door with me. As I set off she waved, and I waved back, striding out in my strange green tail-feet – but the nearer I got to the manor, the slower I walked. Cars full of strangers were chugging up the driveway. I could hear the guests chattering and laughing through their open windows. There was distant music coming from the marquee. It was lit by Chinese lanterns – rose pink and blue and crimson and jade. I could see silhouettes inside, all prancing about to the music.

  It was a warm summer evening but I started shivering. I hated the sound of the guests’ high, hard voices – among them Lady Arabella’s ringing tones. No doubt she’d say something crushing when she saw me. Mr Benjamin would be busy with his guests. I doubted he’d even spot me in the crowd.

  I couldn’t see Roland or Esmeralda or Marcella. I’d have even run to join Bruno, but I couldn’t see him either. I never quite knew where I was with the Somerset children. I felt a sudden pang when I thought of my old friendship with Maggie. We might have fallen out from time to time, but I had never felt awkward or uncomfortable with her. If she was here now, she’d take my arm and say, Come on, scaredy cat. Let’s go and have a laugh at all these posh nobs.

  I tried whispering it to myself, but it didn’t work. I just couldn’t make myself go into that marquee. I turned round and ran all the way back to the cottage.

  Aunty leaped up from her chair when she saw me. ‘What’s up, Mona? What’s happened? Has someone been horrible to you? Why have you come back?’

  I tried to think of any number of excuses. I started making up a story about Lady Arabella saying something insulting – but then I simply told the truth.

  ‘I was too shy to go in.’

  ‘Oh, Mona!’ said Aunty, shaking her head. ‘How can you be such a ninny?’

  ‘You get scared of them too, I know you do,’ I retorted.

  ‘Of course I don’t,’ she fibbed.

  ‘Well, you come too then.’ I reached out a hand to her. ‘Please!’

  ‘A great girl your age!’ said Aunty, but she squeezed my hand back. ‘All right, I’ll walk up and see you in. We don’t want to waste that lovely costume, do we?’

  ‘Oh, thank you, Aunty, thank you!’ I said fervently.

  She tidied her hair and brushed the c