Alice Parker & the Curse of Fate (15 page)

‘
Your friend
Ralph told me. We borrowed his mother’s campervan to get
here.’

‘
WHAT?! I
don’t understand. How do you know him?’

‘
I don’t
really. It’s not important. You’re OK, that’s all
that matters.’ He turned his face away in embarrassment, as if
he regretted what he had said.

Alice was thoroughly
confused. Her thumping headache wasn’t helping matters. ‘But
... Lucinda told me you’d gone to New Zealand.’

Hugh shook his head.
‘When she phoned me to ask for help I was at the airport. The
poor girl was hysterical because she knew Isabella had followed you
to an apartment in Berlin. When she told me what was going on, I had
to change my plans. So I bought another ticket and boarded the next
flight to Berlin.’

‘
You mean ...
you abandoned your holiday to come here? You just threw away a month
in New Zealand? Why would you do that for me? I’m not worth
it to you!’

‘
Oh, I’m
afraid you are, Alice. You just don’t know it yet,’ said
Hugh quietly.

After a moment’s
pause, Alice realised what he was hinting at. ‘This is about
the problem in my future, isn’t it? The reason Isabella wants
me dead?’

Hugh nodded. ‘
I
wouldn’t call it a problem. Only Isabella sees it that way.’

‘
Just tell me!
I’ve decided it’s time I knew. I’m going to look
it up anyway when I get home. What did she learn about the future
that made her so angry?’

Hugh hung his head.
‘OK, fine, if you insist. Here goes. In many, many years’
time, I shall inherit Aylesford Castle from my uncle Brian.’

‘
Eh? Why
would he leave it to you? You don’t even speak these days, do
you?’ asked Alice, astounded.

‘
Brian leaves
Isabella nothing. I assume she falls out with him permanently in the
future. Hardly surprising, given her behaviour. I get the castle
and Lucinda gets everything else – which amounts to one heck of
a lot, apparently.’

‘
Wow! Lucky
you. But what does that have to do with me?’

‘
Ah! That is
the big question!’ Hugh laughed nervously. ‘What’s
mine will be yours, Alice. By the time Brian takes his last breath,
we’ll have been happily married for many years.’

Alice’s
response was rapid. Suddenly and violently she threw up all over
Hugh’s coat.

‘
I hope that’s
a delayed reaction to your head injury,’ remarked Hugh, patting
her on the back. ‘And not a comment about your future
husband.’

‘
Don’t
touch me!’ yelled Alice, waving her arms frantically. ‘Just
leave me alone!’

At that moment
Thomas pounced on Hugh and grabbed him around the throat. Ralph
helped Alice to her feet and led her out of the way while Hugh
attempted to fight off his attacker.

‘
Well, this is
the strangest day I have ever had,’ declared Ralph. ‘First
a giant came to life, now I am watching two posh English boys
fighting in the snow!’

‘
That’s
enough!’ screamed Alice, noticing that Hugh’s nose was
bleeding. ‘Stop it, both of you!’

‘
Why? He’s
a sick liar and needs to be taught a lesson!’ shouted Thomas,
swinging another punch, which Hugh managed to dodge.

‘
You heard
what he said?’

‘
Every twisted
word.’

Alice was horrified
to notice some specks of vomit in her hair. Ralph was bound to have
noticed. How could the day get any worse? ‘Listen, Hugh must
be lying,’ she said firmly. ‘We’ll find out for
sure as soon as we get home – I’m going to read my books
about the future. I need answers.’

Thomas let go of
Hugh momentarily. ‘You’re really going to believe
whatever they tell you?’

‘
They haven’t
been wrong yet.’ Silent tears streamed down Alice’s
face.

‘
Oh, Alice,’
said Thomas, simmering a little. ‘If that’s really what
Isabella read, Aunt Jennifer must have got it wrong. There’s
just no way. It’s not possible.’

‘
I should hope
not,’ sneered Ralph. ‘Are you really stupid enough to
marry this creep in the future? Oh, hold on! Perhaps this head
injury is worse than it looks!’

‘
I was about
to work on that,’ said Thomas, ‘but I got distracted.’

‘
It
is
possible,’ maintained Hugh as he approached Alice.

The colour drained
from her face. ‘Keep away from me!’ she squealed.

Hugh stepped back
with a pained expression.

‘
Just tell
me,’ pleaded Alice. ‘How many years from now ...
allegedly?’

‘
Fifteen
years, if you must know.’

‘
Well, fifteen
years is another lifetime to you, Alice,’ said Grandma gently
.
‘I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I just followed the
shouting. I’m so glad you’re all right, my love. I was
worried sick when I heard all the commotion.’

‘
Oh, great.
Now everyone has heard this ridiculous story. I bet you’ll all
have a good laugh about it, too,’ moaned Alice.

‘
Of course
not. But a lot can happen in fifteen years,’ said Grandma.

‘
Pff! If it
is
true,
I can’t face the next fifteen years. It makes me feel ill just
thinking about it.’

‘
Well, Hugh
looks ill with worry,’ Grandma pointed out. ‘I don’t
think he’s enjoying this public humiliation any more than you
are.’

‘
I don’t
want you to hate me, Alice,’ he mumbled.

‘
Head’s
fixed,’ interrupted Thomas. ‘Not that you even noticed,
Alice. Just scratches and bruises otherwise. You’ll live.’

Alice glanced at the
forlorn Hugh, cursing herself for beginning to feel sorry for him.
‘I’d really like to go home, Grandma,’ she said
quietly. ‘Where’s Brigitte?’

‘
Oh, mourning
the fall of that great lump of metal. She was more concerned about
Hermann than her niece and nephew! When he fell, we thought it was
an earthquake! Although when I realised what had happened, I knew
you were in trouble. Where’s Isabella? Did Hermann finally
finish her off?’

‘
Sadly not,’
replied Thomas. ‘I think she got away again.’

‘
It certainly
will not be cheap to clear up this mess,’ said Ralph as they
emerged from the trees.

They had to walk
around Hermann’s metal corpse lying on the ground. Alice
couldn’t prevent a few tears flowing at the sight of this
magnificent, giant warrior, lifeless once again. Only this time, his
eyes were closed. How on earth would they explain that?

‘
We should
hurry up and get out of here,’ warned Thomas. ‘We don’t
want to answer any questions.’

‘
You might
have to if Isabella drops you in it,’ said Grandma.

‘
She can’t.
It was a battle of abilities. Besides, it was her who made him
fall. I just made him come to life.’

‘
Well done
you!’ said Ralph with a smirk. ‘Hey, what about the man
with the beard? Where did he go?’

Alice stopped in her
tracks. ‘He was close to me before I crash-landed. We were
over there somewhere.’

Marking the spot
where she pointed was Hermann’s gigantic head in its winged
helmet.

‘
Lukas?’
called Alice, running towards it. She hunted all around for any sign
of him. ‘Are you here?’ she called.

‘
Ja und nein,’
came a faint reply.

It was definitely
him; she recognised the voice. Again she searched the perimeter of
Hermann’s head. This time she stumbled across a lifeless foot
in a brown leather boot. It was sticking out from beneath the edge
of Hermann’s helmet.

‘
Oh my life!
He’s dead!’ She fell to her knees and stared at all she
could see of Lukas. ‘You should never have got involved with
Isabella Rowbottom,’ she murmured.

‘
I know,’
replied Lukas.

By now the other
four had joined her. Grandma covered her eyes. Thomas looked ashen.

‘
Why are you
talking to a foot?’ asked Ralph. ‘Oh ... of course. I
remember.’ He stared at what remained of the unfortunate
Sinwip. ‘Nasty. But if you play with fire, you get burnt.’

‘
You’ve
done it again, haven’t you, Thomas? You’ve killed
again,’ said Alice, stony-faced.

‘
Hold on a
minute, that’s a bit ...’ protested Thomas.

‘
Actually this
is my fault, Alice,’ interrupted Ralph. ‘
I
suggested that Thomas should make Hermann move, and I helped him
achieve it. He could not have done it without me; his ability is not
strong enough.’

For once, Thomas
didn’t argue with him.

‘
Besides,’
Ralph continued, ‘Isabella killed Lukas. She made Hermann
fall. We only intended him to get
her
.
And I do not remember you trying to stop us.’

Alice was seething
with rage. He was right, of course. She certainly wasn’t
going to step in and save Isabella this time.

‘
Someone’s
coming towards us,’ hissed Hugh. ‘I suggest we walk away
from the corpse. The Sinwip one, I mean – not Hermann.’

‘
It’s
Brigitte,’ said Thomas. ‘And she doesn’t look
happy.’ Quickly, he snapped a few branches off a nearby bush
and used them to conceal Lukas’s foot. Then they all hurried
to meet her.

‘
This is a
tragedy!’ she wailed, shaking her head in despair. ‘Such
a terrible loss for Detmold and Germany.’

‘
Mmm. We’re
fine though, thanks,’ replied Thomas.

‘
Everywhere
you go there is disaster!’ she continued angrily, waving her
finger at Alice and Thomas. ‘Your family is cursed! Cursed I
tell you!’

Hugh was clearly
irritated by her melodramatic outburst. ‘It’s not a
curse,’ he said firmly. ‘It’s just fate. Who is
this repugnant woman?’

Alice smirked.
‘Grandma’s sister.’

‘
Oh. Well,
I’d be grateful if you didn’t invite her to our wedding,’
he said in a low voice.

Ralph looked daggers
at him.

Alice pulled a face
when the word
wedding
passed
his lips. ‘I doubt she’ll be around in fifteen years
anyway.’

‘
I wouldn’t
bank on it. Old battleaxes seem to live for ever.’

‘
Who are those
two boys?’ Brigitte asked Grandma, pointing rudely at Ralph and
Hugh. ‘Trouble, I suspect.’

‘
Quite
possibly,’ said Grandma in a subdued tone. ‘Can we go
before the police arrive, please? I can’t face anything else
today. I need a lie down.’

‘
Fine. A
sensible idea for a change.’

Back at the car
park, Ralph sat in the passenger seat of his mother’s campervan
and slammed the door without saying goodbye to Alice.

‘
Oh dear. It
seems I’ve upset someone,’ commented Hugh.

‘
Don’t
you always?’ moaned Alice. ‘Don’t forget, I’ll
be reading up on the facts when I get home.’

‘
Please do.
Goodbye for now.’ He left Alice grimacing as he took his place
beside Ralph and started the engine. As he drove off he wound down
the window and blew a kiss. ‘I’ll send you the
dry-cleaning bill for my coat!’

‘
What an
unpleasant character,’ commented Brigitte. ‘Only his
mother could love him.’

‘
Oh, I don’t
know about that,’ said Thomas. ‘I bet she has her
doubts.’

Chapter 13

A
Shocking Transformation

By the time they
returned to Berlin it was nearly dark. Still shaken up by the
Hermann incident, Brigitte ran herself a bath and announced that she
was having an early night. No one complained. Exhausted, Grandma
lay down on the sofa and closed her eyes.