Page 22 of Your Carriage Awaits in Crumbleton
It didn’t stop the fact that Michelle felt like she was going to start screaming if someone didn’t tell her what was going on!
‘Right, here you go, love!’ said her mum at long last, bringing a tray to the table, full of clinking cups rattling in their saucers.
‘Thanks, Mum,’ she said, taking hers and wondering how she was meant to hold the thing when the handle was too small to fit her fingers through. She quickly gave up and put it down. ‘Right… so… what’s happened while I’ve been gone?’
‘Happened?’ said her mum, shooting a nervous glance at her dad.
‘I think we’d better tell her, love.’
‘Pleasetell me!’ said Michelle, with a nervous little laugh. ‘I’m starting to imagine all sorts. Is someone ill? Or… I don’t know… is there bad news?’
As she said it, Michelle suddenly wondered if this was actually something to do with her trip to the Dalton Garage. Had someone seen her? Or perhaps someone had spotted her cruising around with Danny in the Buick and dobbed her in to her dad.
She peered at her parents, wishing she was a mind reader. Her heart sank when she saw that her mum had turned pale.
Shit!Maybe she’d been closer with her first guesses.
‘It’s nothing like that, love,’ said her dad, his tone as gentle. ‘It’s about Lawrence.’
CHAPTER 8
MICHELLE
Lawrence?
That name was all it took to make Michelle feel like a trayful of ice cubes had just been emptied down the back of her neck.
‘What about him?’ she said, doing her best to keep her tone even rather than accusatory.
‘Now… don’t get upset, love,’ said her mum.
‘Upset? Why would I be upset?’ Michelle’s voice was high and squeaky.
Her parents glanced at each other again. Michelle sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. If this was another well-meaning attempt to get her to crawl back to the cheating, conniving little?—
She stared hard at her cup and saucer, doing her best to get a grip.
Wait a minute… this was the guest china. They hadn’t invited him here… had they?
‘Tell me one thing,’ she said, unable to keep a quiver out of her voice. ‘He’s not here, is he?’
‘Here?’ said her mum in surprise.
‘In this house?’ said her dad, with a dark frown that didn’t suit him. ‘Never,everagain!’
Well… at least that was something!
‘Okay. That’s good,’ she said, the relief coming out as a little laugh.
‘Why would you think that, anyway?’ said her mum.
‘Guest china, fancy biscuits?’ said Michelle, pouncing on a chocolate one, suddenly desperate for a sugar hit.
‘That’s just my way of trying to apologise,’ said her mum, looking miserable.
‘To me?’ said Michelle through a mouthful of biscuit.
Both her parents nodded, looking like naughty children.
