Olivia's Winter Wonderland (15 page)

BOOK: Olivia's Winter Wonderland
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Chapter Thirty-One

Olivia, Tom and Eel were walking towards the Swan. It was almost nine o clock at night and bitterly cold. They had just walked Emmy Lovedale back to her house after a marathon trick-or-treating session. Olivia and Tom had been supervising a very excited Eel and three of her friends as they collected enough sweets and chocolate to give them toothache for days. Afterwards they had all gone back to the Swan, where Alicia had fed them sausages and mash with eyeball jelly for pudding. The green jelly with lychees suspended in it looked a bit too realistic for Olivia.

It had only started snowing when they had left the Swan to walk Emmy home, but already London had been transformed into a
winter wonderland. The flakes were huge, great white moths fluttering around the street lamps, and it had quickly settled like a white blanket over the streets, muffling the sound and making London seem eerily peaceful. Everyone seemed to have retreated indoors and the three children felt as if they had London entirely to themselves.

“It's beautiful,” said Eel as she held out her hands to catch the flakes.

“It is,” agreed Olivia, “but it's far too early for snow.”

“If the snow has come early, maybe Christmas will too,” said Eel. “I've already written my Christmas list. I don't think I can wait until the twenty-fifth of December.”

“What have you asked for, Eel?” asked Tom.

“Chocolate. Tickets to see the Royal Ballet do
Swan Lake
at the Royal Opera House and more chocolate.”

She took a huge bite from one of the many bars she was carrying.

“You'll be sick, Eel Marvell, if you eat any more chocolate,” said her sister.

“But I've got tons of it!” she said. “I love Hallowe'en. I love trick-or-treating.” She
skipped happily ahead and started scraping together snow from a parked car to make a snowball.

“I'm glad somebody's happy,” said Olivia moodily.

“Liv,” said Tom, “you've done everything you possibly could to try to save the Swan panto. So has your gran. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be.”

Olivia kicked at a little mound of snow that had banked against a lamppost.

“I just thought I could make it happen. I really thought that when Ella realised how important it was that she'd let us use Campion's. Instead I've just made her angry and upset.”

“You've not heard anything from her or Arthur?”

Olivia shook her head. “No, I slid our note saying sorry under the back door, and left the flowers we bought. But there's been nothing. I feel awful. Gran always says that it's worth asking for what you want because even if the person you ask says no, you're in no worse a position than you were before. But in this case we are. We've upset Ella and we still haven't got a theatre for the Swan pantomime and in two or
so hours' time it will be too late because Theo will sign up for his movie.”

“I heard your gran say that he's already rung three times today asking if there's any news.”

“It just shows how much he wants to do
Cinderella
,” said Olivia. “He's itching to get into rehearsals.”

“Maybe he'll hold out against Sheridan another few days.”

“I don't think so,” said Olivia gloomily. “He gave us the chance to make
Cinderella
happen and we failed.” Her voice cracked with emotion. Tom hugged her.

“And there's something else,” she whispered. “The dreams have stopped.”

Tom raised his eyebrows. “But that's a good thing, isn't it?” he said.

Olivia frowned. “I don't know. It's as if some kind of connection has been broken.” Her eyes filled with tears. “It makes me think we're never going to see Ella and Arthur and Campion's again.”

Tom went to give her another hug but at that moment a snowball whizzed past her right ear and hit Tom full on.

“Right,” said Tom with a grin. “You're going to regret that, Eel Marvell!” He gathered up some snow and chased after her. He thought Liv probably needed a moment or two alone.

Olivia watched the two of them throw snow around. She looked down a side street and saw a gaggle of witches and skeletons, led by a taller grim reaper, walking away in the distance. It was a strange sight in the empty city. The silence was eerie, as if the whole of London was holding its breath, broken only by Eel's indignant screeches as Tom stuffed a snowball down her neck. Olivia shivered and stamped her feet. Tom threw a snowball at her but she didn't respond so he continued pelting Eel, who eventually collapsed into the snow, gasping with laughter and begging for mercy. When she finally stood up, she was shivering uncontrollably.

“I'm freezing,” she said.

“Me too,” said Tom, rubbing his hands together. “Let's get moving.”

“We can cut down Henley Street under the bridge and past the end of Hangman's Alley,” said Eel. “It's much quicker.”

Olivia and Tom glanced at each other.

“Bit spooky down there at this time of
night,” said Tom evenly.

“Please…” said Eel. “I'm so cold I think I've caught pneumonia.” Her teeth were chattering.

Olivia nodded brusquely. “If you're sure.”

“Come on then,” said Tom, and they began walking as briskly as they could through the thickening snow. They passed the Tube station, cut through another side street and headed down Henley Street. They had just got to the railway bridge when Olivia suddenly stopped and stood very still. Her face was puzzled.

“Did you hear that?” she said.

Tom and Eel looked at her blankly. “I didn't hear anything,” said Eel. “Come on, let's get home.”

“There it is again,” said Olivia. Tom and Eel looked at her. She was perched on one foot with her head to one side like a bird. “Children laughing.”

“It's the wind, Livy,” said Eel. The snow was falling faster and thicker. It was turning into a blizzard, dancing in front of their eyes.

Olivia shrugged and said doubtfully, “Maybe you're right.”

They ran, sliding on the ice under the railway bridge, but as soon as they reached the other side, Olivia skidded to an abrupt halt.

“There it is again! It's definitely children. I can hear them, and …” She stared at Tom and Eel, white-faced, “they're not laughing any more, they're crying.”

Tom looked worried. “It's just trick-or-treaters somewhere in the distance,” he said.

“Then why can't you hear them?” asked Olivia seriously.

“I want to go home,” said Eel. “You look strange, Livy. Like a ghost. Are you teasing us, Livy, because if you are, I don't like it.”

“Come on, Liv, we're almost home. Down past Hangman's Alley and then it's no distance at all.” Tom tried to pull Olivia along but she wouldn't budge. She was standing as still as a statue and listening intently. Suddenly a look of panic came over her face and she broke into a run. She called back over her shoulder to the others. “We've got to go to Campion's. There's something dreadfully wrong, I know there is!”

“Liv! Liv!” called Tom. “Come back!” But she didn't stop. He turned to Eel. “We'd better go after her.”

They ran as fast as they could in the snow, following Olivia's footprints until they turned sharply up Hangman's Alley. Olivia was standing by Campion's faded entrance, banging her fists against the door and calling, “Ella! Arthur!” Her voice echoed across the white, empty street.

“Liv,” said Tom, touching her shoulder.

She jumped and shook him off. “Get off me, Tom! There's something wrong. I know there is!”

“What about the back door?”

“The door to the passageway is locked. We can't get in that way.” Olivia banged again on the door.

“What's going on?” asked Eel in a small voice. “You're scaring me, Livy.”

Tom put his arm round her. A black cat suddenly yowled and appeared from nowhere behind them, making them all jump.

“It's no good, they can't hear us,” said Olivia despairingly. She stepped back from the door and looked up at the little window. It was shut. “I'm going to climb up and see if I can force it open.”

“Liv,” said Tom urgently. “You might not
get a warm welcome from Ella if you just turn up uninvited. She's already told you to stay away.”

“It's a risk I'm just going to have to take,” said Olivia, and she began to scramble up the drainpipe. “Wait for me here. If I'm not back in five minutes, call the police.” She quickly reached the window sill, brushed the snow away and heaved herself carefully on to it. She stood up against the window and found a gap at the top just big enough to get her fingers in. She leaned down on it and as she did so, one of her feet lost its grip, the other slipped as if in solidarity and for a heart-stopping moment she was hanging from the window by her fingertips.

Eel screamed and the sound reverberated eerily around the alleyway. Olivia found her footing and pushed the window again. Perhaps because it had already taken her weight, it shifted easily. She pushed it down and climbed inside. She moved soundlessly past the old bar area. The whispering in her head was urging her on. She could see the glimmer of eggshell blue and gilt, but she could smell something too, something that shouldn't be there: a strong smell of burning. Campion's was on fire!

Chapter Thirty-Two

Olivia ran frantically on to the horseshoe balcony. The fire was small and she could see immediately how it had started. The ghost-light had been placed too close to one of the stage curtains and now the curtain was smouldering gently, waiting to burst into flames and send the whole theatre up in smoke. The flames would lick up the ancient walls and across the roof and the diamond chandelier would come crashing down in the blink of an eye.

Olivia raced down to the stage, screaming, “Ella! Arthur! Fire! Fire!” She tugged at the curtain to try and pull it down, hoping it would fall and smother the flames that had suddenly spluttered into life and were quickly licking upwards. But the curtain didn't budge. Olivia
cursed Arthur's sturdy handiwork as she felt the heat of the flames on her face.

She looked around wildly and her eye fell on the high-wire. She leapt on it, took a deep breath and then ran at top speed towards the curtain, trying to gather all the momentum she could. As she reached the end of the wire she made a flying leap upwards. For a moment it seemed as if she had misjudged her jump and would fly into a wall of flame, but she landed on the curtain just above the flames, although rather too close for comfort.

Olivia began to haul herself up the curtain, just ahead of the curling flame, aiming to make it to the top and wrench it from its fastenings before she was consumed by the fire. She felt the warmth tickling ominously at her feet and smoke was beginning to billow all around her. Its acrid taste hit the back of her throat and made her choke. It was getting harder and harder to breathe.

Olivia glanced down at the advancing flames. She heaved herself up with one last stupendous effort and reached desperately for the curtain fastening. She was no longer just trying to save Campion's, she was trying to
save her own life too. There was a sudden roar of ravenous flame as the fire really took hold, a loud cry and the curtain tore away from its fastenings and fell down to the stage with Olivia still clinging to it. She opened her mouth to scream but was shocked into silence by the icy water being poured over her head.

 

“More tea?” asked Ella.

“Yes, please,” said Alicia. They were sitting on the horseshoe balcony overlooking the stage. The smell of singed material was still very strong, but with the exception of the curtain, there was no other fire damage. Alicia gazed around her at the gilt and eggshell-blue interior, the massive mirrors and the chandelier with its hundreds of crystal drops.

“It's so exquisite,” she said. “You know, I think it's the most beautiful theatre I've ever seen, and I've seen a few in my time. It's amazing to think that this gem has been hidden away all these years. It's extraordinary, and you've kept it so beautifully. It must have been a real labour of love.”

“Yes,” said Ella quietly. “It has been.” She looked at Olivia. “And if it hadn't been for Livy,
it would have all gone up in smoke, and Arthur and me with it. I have a lot to thank you for, Livy. You were very brave. It was all my fault too. I came in here, moved the ghost-light so I could sweep the stage and then remembered I'd put a pan of milk on to heat. I went back into the kitchen and then to bed and quite forgot about leaving the ghost-light so close to the curtain. I'm getting old and forgetful.”

“Well, thank goodness that nobody was hurt,” said Alicia. “Although when I got Tom's call telling me there'd been an accident in Hangman's Alley, my heart was in my mouth. Are you sure you don't want me to call a doctor, Livy?”

Olivia shook her head firmly.

“She's as tough as old boots,” said Tom. “We'll have to call her Nine Lives Liv.”

“It was just lucky that Arthur poured that bucket of water over me when he did.” Olivia grinned. “Things were getting a bit hot. At least what was left of the curtain was thick enough to break my fall.”

“What I don't understand,” said Eel, “is how Livy knew that something was wrong in the first place.”

Olivia said nothing; she just glanced quickly at Ella.

“Just good luck, I suppose,” said Alicia. “Although, from what Olivia says, Campion's was playing on her mind. Maybe it was her unconscious that drew her here. Perhaps what some people might call sixth sense?”

“Perhaps,” said Eel curiously. “But she kept saying she could hear children's voices telling her to come here when we were down by the railway bridge in Henley Street. Tom and I couldn't hear anything but she was very insistent. It was as if she was getting a message. But the really strange thing, when you think about it, is that at that point the fire couldn't even have broken out.”

“Ooh, spooky,” said Tom, trying to make light of it. “But it is Hallowe'en, after all.”

“Yes,” said Olivia, looking directly at Ella. “It is Hallowe'en. And tonight when I heard the children they weren't laughing, they were crying.”

“Oh, it was probably the wind carrying the distant sounds of trick-or-treaters,” said Alicia breezily. “I think we can safely say it wasn't ghosts. There's always a scientific explanation
for these things.”

“By Henley Street railway bridge, you say?” said Ella softly.

“Yes,” said Olivia, and she saw that Ella was staring at her very hard. The church clock struck a quarter to midnight.

“Ella, we must go,” said Alicia. “How did it get so late? Thank you for the tea and thank you for allowing me to see your beautiful, beautiful theatre.”

Ella stood up. “It's I who should thank you. Without Livy, Campion's would have burned to a cinder.” She turned to Olivia. “I want to give you a thank-you present. I want you and the Swans to perform your production of
Cinderella
here at Campion's. The whole run, as many performances as you like. It's my gift to you.” She looked around the theatre. “It's time to put out the ghost-light and welcome real performers back on to the stage. Campion's is open for business again.”

Everyone looked at each other and broke into peals of delighted laughter.

 

Theo was pacing up and down in his flat.

“It's almost midnight, Theo,” said
Sheridan, looking at her phone. “I said I'd ring on the dot and let Hollywood know that you'll do it.”

Theo gave an unhappy sigh. “I just really thought that Livy and Alicia would pull it off. They're not the kind of people to be beaten.”

“Ah,” said Sheridan sagely. “Maybe luck wasn't with them. Never mind. The Swan's loss will be Hollywood's gain…” The church clock in the square beyond began to strike midnight.

“Right,” said Sheridan with a happy smile. “I'm making that call.” She went to press a button on her phone and at that moment Theo's mobile chirped into life. Alicia's number flashed on the screen. He held it to his ear.

“Theo! It's Livy. You will go to the ball, after all! We've found a theatre. The most magical theatre in the entire world!”

Theo gave a yelp of pleasure and his face was suffused with a rosy glow of happiness. Sheridan stood watching him for a moment as he talked excitedly into the phone, and then she picked up her new Gucci handbag and walked out of the flat without even saying goodbye.

BOOK: Olivia's Winter Wonderland
7.35Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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