The Trouble with Polly Brown (39 page)

“Oh, yes. I know I should have, but I have no access to a phone and so very little time after school and…” Polly's voice trailed off. “Mrs. Muldoon, at the risk of sounding very rude, are you really sure they both are out on urgent errands?”

“Oh yes, deary, for they do everything together, as they cannot bear to be apart, no, not for one minute. They really are joined at the hip, so to speak. Hmm. It's quite touching, really.”

“Are you joking when you say they are never apart?” Polly asked as she broke into a girlish giggle.

“No, deary. Never, ever,” the kind lady briskly replied, showing the teeniest hint of annoyance at her integrity being questioned, and by one so young as Polly.

“Oh,” said Polly, “that's very nice. So I imagine they must be newlyweds then?”

“Well, not really, deary, unless of course you count being married for forty odd years as being newly wed,” Mrs. Muldoon solemnly stated as once more she smoothed down her apron. “Yes, you can't miss them, for they walk around town arm in arm like newlyweds, greeting every passerby as though they were some long-lost acquaintance. It sometimes turns their ‘popping out for errands' into quite lengthy procedures. Hmm. I believe that since this wonderful couple arrived in town, they have made such a difference. Yes, such a difference,” she stated dreamily.

“What do you mean by ‘difference,' Mrs. Muldoon?” a very wide-eyed Polly now dared to ask.

“Well, deary, everyone in this town seems so much happier and friendlier, and the customers who frequent this tearoom are now remarkably overgenerous with the tips they leave on the table. I've never known anything like it, and Polly dear, trust me when I say that I've worked in many a restaurant in my time. The customers coming in here are, without exception, so delightfully polite. There is never any conversation that is at the expense of others, and it has even been known for some kind customers to offer their help with the washing up!”

“Mrs. Muldoon, now I know for sure you're clowning around with me!” Polly retorted, as she allowed herself the freedom to break into a fit of the giggles.

“Laugh as much as you like, deary. All I know is that since this couple came to town, the sky is much bluer, the grass is greener, the flowers are blooming at double—no, triple—their usual speed. And as for the birds in the trees, well, they have not stopped singing, not even for a minute. So no, deary, I am not joking, for there is something very special about this couple. Hmm, something I can't quite put my finger on,” she stated, her eyes moistening and welling up with tears as she continued to speak with such affection about her employers.

“I'm sorry I had a sudden fit of the giggles, Mrs. Muldoon, for I have no wish to upset you,” Polly insisted.

“That's perfectly all right, Polly. Now don't tell anybody this, but sometimes I go home and sit down on my rocking chair just to have a good weep, because never in my life have I been treated with such thorough kindness.”

All this made Polly most intrigued, as well as more desperate than ever to make their acquaintance.

“Hmm. It's as though they are not from around these parts.”

“Mrs. Muldoon, please don't speak in riddles, but tell me plainly: quite what do you mean?”

“Well, don't repeat this deary, but it's as though they came from another planet far away in the heavens.”

“Another planet! Mrs. Muldoon, have you been drinking?”

“Ooh, no, deary. I have not had a drop from the bottle for many a year. All I am suggesting is that this special couple is from somewhere else, although where that place might be at this moment in time I am not too sure!”

“Really?” Polly muttered.

“Yes, deary. There really is no earthly way to describe them, for I believe them to be simply perfect.”

“Ooh,” was all Polly now cared to comment, for she was feeling utterly enthralled by all she was hearing.

“You see, little one, they are so, so in love, and I, for one, have never worked for such kind people, people who have no need to daily remind me of my lowly position in life. No, in fact, Polly dear, they tell me every day how perfectly delighted they are to have found me. Now, answer me, Polly dearest, how wonderful is that?”

“Mrs. Muldoon, they do indeed sound absolutely wonderful—in fact, beyond perfection to me,” Polly cried out. “Yes, so perfect that I can hardly bear to hear another word about them. And by giving me such a wonderful and vivid picture of how awfully nice they truly are, you have just made my need to meet with them more urgent than ever.”

“Aye, my dear. Patience. You will surely meet them in time. For my part, I promise to let them know that you called.”

“Promise me, Mrs. Muldoon, that you will not forget to tell them that I called, as I wished to make their acquaintance,” Polly said with a heartfelt urgency as she grabbed hold of the poor and unsuspecting woman's hand to give it a hearty shake, similar to the one she had previously given to the equally unsuspecting, poor mailman.

“Promise me. Please promise me.”

Mrs. Muldoon was forced on the spot to promise many times over before Polly finally loosened her ridiculously tight grip of the poor lady's right hand.

Despite the disappointment of having still not met the Kindlysides, Polly found herself feeling a strange sort of contentment as she raced home. She had just heard firsthand from the lovely Mrs. Muldoon that the new owners were extremely kind and considerate in all their dealings, so hopefully the next time she was able to call at the tearoom, the Kindlysides would be around and therefore available to speak with her.

With her guardians still away on holiday, Polly began to experience a new release of joy inside, as for the first time ever she knew what it felt like to feel carefree without having to fear what might lie ahead when she got home to the castle. It's true she still had to deal with the old battle-ax Miss Scrimp, but truth be told, she was nothing more than a pussycat when compared with Uncle Boritz. Polly even managed a new spring in her step as she went about her mundane evening chores.

Over the next couple of weeks Polly was also able to slip away after school to spend a small amount of time getting to know her new friend, Will, much better. As a result of all of this, she could now freely admit that finally something very good had turned up in her otherwise pitifully sad life. Will appeared not only to fully understand her, but he was also the only person on Planet Earth who seemed happy to want to spend the time to get to know her. Polly felt a new glow deep inside that mirrored her newfound hope.

Unbeknown to Polly, there was someone else who was equally interested in her relationship with Will. In fact, she was so interested she was making it her personal duty to record the date and time of every secretive meeting that took place between the two of them.

Being the perfect detective that she truly was, she even took covert photographs of the pair together, not that they were doing anything that could be considered unacceptable and untoward but purely because the more information she would be able to pass on, then the more handsome the reward. She freely admitted to hating Polly with a passion, so to see Polly acting so footloose and fancy free was more than enough to make her blood boil. She therefore considered it to be her God-given duty to spy on Polly and report back all she saw and heard, thereby personally seeing to it that Polly's newfound happiness be very short lived.

Alarmingly, due to this unacknowledged inner rage, her hands began shaking badly, as with a sharpened pencil she hurriedly scribbled down the time and date of this latest secret interlude between Will and Polly. As she wrote down all she saw, she sadly considered this to be an excellent opportunity to add some extra, very lurid details of her own choosing; otherwise, she might not have enough compelling evidence to get Uncle's blood to boiling point at the very least.

Sadly, even knowing that Polly would face punishment for this secretive liaison was not enough, for it still left Gailey struggling to understand quite what the attraction was. After all, why should smelly, ugly, lice-ridden Polly “Fester” Brown have such a handsome older boy paying her such attention, when she, Gailey Gobbstopper, had never been shown such adoration by anyone? This most definitely had to be stopped at all costs, and Polly should and would be severely punished for having the temerity to sneak behind her guardians' backs to yet again indulge in clandestine meetings with an unknown boy of highly dubious origins, according to the latest gossip being bandied around the school playground. That gossip not only spoke of a haunted mansion overrun with thousands of viciously rabid cats but also spoke of both murder and madness that ran amok throughout the new boy's family history.

With all this in mind, Gailey had made it her mission to find out as much as she could about the mysterious new boy, and she was delighted to report back that having left no stone unturned, nothing looked remotely good regarding his ancestral background or their recent move to the area.

Yes, Polly Brown would indeed pay very dearly for this latest breach of conduct, or so she hoped with all her jealous heart.

The final bell rang loudly down the long corridors, informing all pupils that the day had finally come to an end. Polly waited until the classroom had emptied before picking up her schoolbag to leave. This little procedure had become routine over the past two weeks, for she knew that Will would be aimlessly hanging about by the school gates, secretly hoping to catch her before she left for the train station and home. She knew he would sidle alongside and then beg her to come back to his place, and she also knew she would show some resistance or give some flimsy excuse for not going before finally caving in to his demands. Today would be no different.

“Hi, Polly. How was your day?” he said as he playfully danced around her, his school jacket casually slung over his shoulder.

“I'm so glad you asked, Will, because for once it has been a very good day, leaving me feeling happy and therefore surprisingly content,” Polly replied, her glowing cheeks instantly betraying her, as they automatically went a ridiculous bright red as her eyes finally met Will's. Oh, how she wished that she would not blush so easily.

“Well, that's great, because you're obviously in a good mood. And when you're in a good mood, you never hesitate to say yes to all my very reasonable requests.”

“Is that so?” Polly mused.

“Yes, so hopefully, without having to get down on both knees and beg, I would very much like it if you would quickly say yes to coming back to my place for a while.”

“Hmm,” was all that came forth from Polly as she played along with him.

“Look, Polly,
yes
is a very easy word to say. Quite simply, all you have to do is open your mouth and spell out
y-e-s
,” he said as he playfully took hold of both her cheeks to squeeze as he attempted to force any form of agreement from her.

Polly laughed. “I daresay I could come back, Will, although I cannot be too late. Hmm. On the other hand, maybe it would be best if I said no this time 'round, for I am so behind on my household chores, as well as my homework,” she complained.

“Oh, don't worry. I promise to help you with all your homework. So, come on; say you'll come. You won't regret it,” he begged and pleaded.

“Oh, all right then, but I can only come for a short while,” Polly firmly stated, as she then unexpectedly grabbed hold of his arm to link her arm through his.

Back at Will's house, they set about making a nice pot of Darjeeling tea for his overly demanding mother, as well as a ham and cheese sandwich for his equally angry, bedridden brother before walking up some further stairs with glass tumblers of lemonade in hand as they headed for their secret place in order to continue on with their exciting and new formed friendship in private.

On this occasion, Polly found herself to be in a very talkative mood.

“Will, I have never shared anything with you concerning a very special place called Piadora, but now I'd very much like to.”