Meg smiled as she watched Blaze carry Claire towards Wilgul. As ever,
Claire rode smoothly, but to Meg's trained eye, it appeared that Blaze was
leading Claire, rather than Claire riding Blaze. Meg smiled. Only Claire
would do that, trust an animal rather than trust herself. Claire trusted
Blaze to get her to Wilgul, letting herself think about what she would find
there. She knew she had to talk to Alex, but what in the name of, in the
name of Charlotte Prudence was she going to say.
"Where's Claire going?" said Tess, shielding her eyes as she squinted at her sister.
"Tess! Good grief, don't do that!" yelled Meg, turning and making her way back into the kitchen. "Now, what would you like for dinner? How were the shee - "
"Meg - what's going on? Where's Claire going?"
"Would you believe she's exercising Blaze?"
"No."
"She's excercising herself?" continued Meg - she couldn't tell Tess, Claire needed to figure it out first before -
"MEG! What's going on? Is Claire all right? Is there anything wrong? Meg please, you're worrying me?"
"There's nothing to worry about - she's just gone to see Alex, is all"
"Well why couldn't you just say that? There's nothing wrong with that, they're always around each other. Why couldn't you tell me that?"
"No reason." Said Meg, making her way around the kitchen and burying her head in the fridge.
Small fireworks began going of inside Tess' mind. What could be going on that Meg wouldn't tell her that Claire was going to see Alex? It wasn't as if Claire could be missing him, she thought, Alex had been around a lot lately, he'd been here almost every day, it felt natural seeing him here at Drovers with Claire and Charlotte. It was almost like he was part of the family, as if he and Claire were the real parents of Little Bomb, as if Claire had realised -
"OH MY GOD! You mean she's gone to see Alex? To SEE see Alex? You mean that she KNOWS?"
"Tess! Shut up for goodness sake! Anyway, knows what?" said Meg, hiding her head amongst the cabbage once more.
"Oooh, don't even try it Meg" grinned Tess. "What happened? How did she find out?"
"Find out what?" managed Meg, although she knew she was fighting a losing battle.
"Find out that she's in love with him, find out that she's always been in love with him, and find out that Alex is the perfect father for Charlotte and the perfect man for her?" "That." Stalled Meg.
"That." Agreed Tess, an impish grin blazing across her face.
Meg shut the fridge and slumped at the kitchen table.
"Ok, ok, but keep it down, for goodness sake. I'm sure Claire will tell the others when she's good and ready. If there's anything TO tell."
"Yeah right, as if Alex is going to turn round and tell her to get lost. He ADORES Claire, always has, whatever he might do or say. Everyone knows that"
"Well, they may KNOW that, but getting them to actually DO something about it, that's a whole other option. You know how stubborn they are. And Alex made me promise not to say anything, and it wasn't as if he actually told me he loved Claire, he was talking to Charlotte at the time and - "
"Alex SAID he loved Claire? Out loud?" squeaked Tess, almost losing her voice in happiness. "This is soooo good. What about Claire? What did she say? Does she know he said that? Did - "
"Tess, for goodness sake! All right, all right I'll tell you, but so help me, if you breathe a word of this before Claire gets back, you'll be cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next month, year for - "
"I get it, Meg. Now talk!"
Meg took a deep breath, praying that all went well and that Claire and Alex finally realised what the rest of them had known for years, that they were meant to be together, that they were destined to be together and in Meg's opinion destiny didn't make mistakes. Well, not often, I mean there was the time when - A shake on here arm brought Meg back to the present, coming face to face with an excited Tess.
"Meg! Spill!"
And so she did. Meg told Tess all about Alex's conversation with the child who should have been his daughter. About his declaration of love for both Charlotte and Claire, and about his insistence that she, Meg, say nothing to anyone. And then Meg told Tess about what she had seen in Claire, about the way she had 'read' Claire, seen the awareness appear, had watched Claire realise she loved Alex.
And about the way she had told Claire to go and see Alex.
"Where's Claire going?" said Tess, shielding her eyes as she squinted at her sister.
"Tess! Good grief, don't do that!" yelled Meg, turning and making her way back into the kitchen. "Now, what would you like for dinner? How were the shee - "
"Meg - what's going on? Where's Claire going?"
"Would you believe she's exercising Blaze?"
"No."
"She's excercising herself?" continued Meg - she couldn't tell Tess, Claire needed to figure it out first before -
"MEG! What's going on? Is Claire all right? Is there anything wrong? Meg please, you're worrying me?"
"There's nothing to worry about - she's just gone to see Alex, is all"
"Well why couldn't you just say that? There's nothing wrong with that, they're always around each other. Why couldn't you tell me that?"
"No reason." Said Meg, making her way around the kitchen and burying her head in the fridge.
Small fireworks began going of inside Tess' mind. What could be going on that Meg wouldn't tell her that Claire was going to see Alex? It wasn't as if Claire could be missing him, she thought, Alex had been around a lot lately, he'd been here almost every day, it felt natural seeing him here at Drovers with Claire and Charlotte. It was almost like he was part of the family, as if he and Claire were the real parents of Little Bomb, as if Claire had realised -
"OH MY GOD! You mean she's gone to see Alex? To SEE see Alex? You mean that she KNOWS?"
"Tess! Shut up for goodness sake! Anyway, knows what?" said Meg, hiding her head amongst the cabbage once more.
"Oooh, don't even try it Meg" grinned Tess. "What happened? How did she find out?"
"Find out what?" managed Meg, although she knew she was fighting a losing battle.
"Find out that she's in love with him, find out that she's always been in love with him, and find out that Alex is the perfect father for Charlotte and the perfect man for her?" "That." Stalled Meg.
"That." Agreed Tess, an impish grin blazing across her face.
Meg shut the fridge and slumped at the kitchen table.
"Ok, ok, but keep it down, for goodness sake. I'm sure Claire will tell the others when she's good and ready. If there's anything TO tell."
"Yeah right, as if Alex is going to turn round and tell her to get lost. He ADORES Claire, always has, whatever he might do or say. Everyone knows that"
"Well, they may KNOW that, but getting them to actually DO something about it, that's a whole other option. You know how stubborn they are. And Alex made me promise not to say anything, and it wasn't as if he actually told me he loved Claire, he was talking to Charlotte at the time and - "
"Alex SAID he loved Claire? Out loud?" squeaked Tess, almost losing her voice in happiness. "This is soooo good. What about Claire? What did she say? Does she know he said that? Did - "
"Tess, for goodness sake! All right, all right I'll tell you, but so help me, if you breathe a word of this before Claire gets back, you'll be cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next month, year for - "
"I get it, Meg. Now talk!"
Meg took a deep breath, praying that all went well and that Claire and Alex finally realised what the rest of them had known for years, that they were meant to be together, that they were destined to be together and in Meg's opinion destiny didn't make mistakes. Well, not often, I mean there was the time when - A shake on here arm brought Meg back to the present, coming face to face with an excited Tess.
"Meg! Spill!"
And so she did. Meg told Tess all about Alex's conversation with the child who should have been his daughter. About his declaration of love for both Charlotte and Claire, and about his insistence that she, Meg, say nothing to anyone. And then Meg told Tess about what she had seen in Claire, about the way she had 'read' Claire, seen the awareness appear, had watched Claire realise she loved Alex.
And about the way she had told Claire to go and see Alex.