behind a crowd at the home-brewing stall, she glanced quickly around. Her heart lurched, as she saw the big sign advertising Brigham Luxury Jewellery. Busy talking from behind the display was Gran, her face flushed and excited. Behind her, Joan was wrapping up a purchase. Neither of them saw her, and she slipped away, walking rapidly to sit on a straw bale at the ringside to consider what she should do next.
S IXTEEN
“D id you have a good time, girls?” said Derek, as they sat down to a sandwich supper. “There’s still show traffic going through the village. The trailers and horse boxes hold them up, going slowly. You’d think they’d reroute them.”
“I reckon it was the biggest show so far,” said Gran. “Me and Joan won a bottle of wine on the lottery, and lost money on the lucky dip. I thought the craft marquee was rubbish this year. What did you think, Lois? We didn’t see you.”
“I missed it,” she lied. “Spent most of my time talking to old friends and clients. It’s a great day for meeting people. I loved the parade, and the foxhounds with the master. It was a shame one of the hounds turned nasty with a young boy, but no great harm done, apparently. Dogs are dogs, and even Jeems can turn savage with black Labradors.”
Gran looked relieved. She had been prepared to brazen it out if Lois had come into the marquee, but now she knew she could relax. She had thought she caught sight of the back of her head, but it obviously wasn’t Lois. It had been so exciting, and she had taken a respectable amount of money for Donald. He had confirmed that her own supply of jewellery would be arriving soon. She and Joan had agreed to sign up as members on a trial basis, with an opt-out clause if they decided against it. If they went ahead, they would each recruit a couple of friends from other villages. It was so easy! She had decided not to tell Lois and Derek until their jewellery arrived, when it would be too late for a fuss. Donald suggested that as he had so recently had a party in the village, they should perhaps go farther afield. He would be on hand to help throughout.
“So what else did you and Joan see, Mum?”
Gran shrugged. “Oh, all the usual things. I saw some very pretty little bantams, and nearly bought a couple for you.”
“I’m pretty well up to capacity, thanks, Mum. Did you see the bulls, your favourites? I saw that beautiful Hereford got first prize again.”
Gran nodded. “He certainly deserved it,” she said, without actually admitting to not having seen it.
Lois had hoped to catch her out, knowing that the red rosette had gone to a glamorous-looking creamy beast, nothing like the Hereford. But Gran was a match for her. She knew exactly how to avoid committing herself, and Lois gave up.
Derek, however, asked a number of questions, wanting to know if his many farmer friends had been there and if Gran had chatted to any of them. It became obvious that she hadn’t seen a single one, and Lois’s suspicion that she and Joan had spent the whole time on the jewellery stall was confirmed.
Later on, when Gran had retired to her own room, obviously quite exhausted by her afternoon’s adventure, Lois told Derek what she had seen, and to her surprise, he said he knew already. One of his friends had stopped his car on the way home from the show, and said he had seen his mother-in-law in the craft tent.
“What did you say to him?” said Lois.
“Not much. I asked if he was sure, and he said there was only one Mrs. Weedon, and he knew Joan, too. Shall we have to find out what they are up to, before it goes any further?”
“It’d be better to wait until Gran tells us herself, and then we can always get her out of trouble, if necessary. She looked like she’d had a new lease on life, chatting to customers at the stall. And, by the way, I saw something else a bit odd.”
“Don’t keep me in suspense,” said Derek.
“There was a huge refreshment tent, and in one corner,
S IXTEEN
“D id you have a good time, girls?” said Derek, as they sat down to a sandwich supper. “There’s still show traffic going through the village. The trailers and horse boxes hold them up, going slowly. You’d think they’d reroute them.”
“I reckon it was the biggest show so far,” said Gran. “Me and Joan won a bottle of wine on the lottery, and lost money on the lucky dip. I thought the craft marquee was rubbish this year. What did you think, Lois? We didn’t see you.”
“I missed it,” she lied. “Spent most of my time talking to old friends and clients. It’s a great day for meeting people. I loved the parade, and the foxhounds with the master. It was a shame one of the hounds turned nasty with a young boy, but no great harm done, apparently. Dogs are dogs, and even Jeems can turn savage with black Labradors.”
Gran looked relieved. She had been prepared to brazen it out if Lois had come into the marquee, but now she knew she could relax. She had thought she caught sight of the back of her head, but it obviously wasn’t Lois. It had been so exciting, and she had taken a respectable amount of money for Donald. He had confirmed that her own supply of jewellery would be arriving soon. She and Joan had agreed to sign up as members on a trial basis, with an opt-out clause if they decided against it. If they went ahead, they would each recruit a couple of friends from other villages. It was so easy! She had decided not to tell Lois and Derek until their jewellery arrived, when it would be too late for a fuss. Donald suggested that as he had so recently had a party in the village, they should perhaps go farther afield. He would be on hand to help throughout.
“So what else did you and Joan see, Mum?”
Gran shrugged. “Oh, all the usual things. I saw some very pretty little bantams, and nearly bought a couple for you.”
“I’m pretty well up to capacity, thanks, Mum. Did you see the bulls, your favourites? I saw that beautiful Hereford got first prize again.”
Gran nodded. “He certainly deserved it,” she said, without actually admitting to not having seen it.
Lois had hoped to catch her out, knowing that the red rosette had gone to a glamorous-looking creamy beast, nothing like the Hereford. But Gran was a match for her. She knew exactly how to avoid committing herself, and Lois gave up.
Derek, however, asked a number of questions, wanting to know if his many farmer friends had been there and if Gran had chatted to any of them. It became obvious that she hadn’t seen a single one, and Lois’s suspicion that she and Joan had spent the whole time on the jewellery stall was confirmed.
Later on, when Gran had retired to her own room, obviously quite exhausted by her afternoon’s adventure, Lois told Derek what she had seen, and to her surprise, he said he knew already. One of his friends had stopped his car on the way home from the show, and said he had seen his mother-in-law in the craft tent.
“What did you say to him?” said Lois.
“Not much. I asked if he was sure, and he said there was only one Mrs. Weedon, and he knew Joan, too. Shall we have to find out what they are up to, before it goes any further?”
“It’d be better to wait until Gran tells us herself, and then we can always get her out of trouble, if necessary. She looked like she’d had a new lease on life, chatting to customers at the stall. And, by the way, I saw something else a bit odd.”
“Don’t keep me in suspense,” said Derek.
“There was a huge refreshment tent, and in one corner,
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