Alice-Miranda in China by Jacqueline Harvey

Author:Jacqueline Harvey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia
Published: 2016-01-17T16:00:00+00:00

Grey skies greeted the group when they met for breakfast in the hotel restaurant at nine o’clock. After their late night, almost everyone was glad for a slower start to the day. September, however, was itching to get to the shops. She’d purchased a cheongsam at the arcade in the Pearl Tower and was keen to find a pair of shoes in just the right shade of red to go with it.

Despite Sloane’s horror at the idea of her mother trying to squeeze herself into one of the tiny dresses, the wily sales assistant had swiftly located the only extra-large garment in the shop. Even though it was still snug, September thought it very fetching and somehow convinced Ambrosia and Miss Reedy to try some on too. They both looked stunning, and in the end Venetia and Miss Grimm also bought themselves cheongsams; the five women making a pact to wear their dresses on the last night in honour of the trip.

Alice-Miranda greeted Sloane and Jacinta with a bright smile as they joined her and Millie at their table. ‘Good morning.’

‘Hi,’ Sloane mumbled.

‘What’s the matter with you?’ Millie asked.

The girl waved a hand in her mother’s direction. ‘She’s been banging about since half past six and before that she was snoring like a train. So much for getting a sleep-in.’ Though she wasn’t about to say so, Sloane was relieved that the snorer had turned out to be her mother and not herself.

‘The congee is delicious,’ Alice-Miranda said, pointing her spoon at the bowl of rice porridge in front of her. ‘Especially if you dunk in the Chinese doughnut.’

‘I still don’t know how you eat that stuff,’ Millie said, pulling a face, and went back to her bacon and eggs.

Jacinta dug into her cereal and Sloane nibbled a piece of watermelon.

Lucas and Sep walked towards the girls with their breakfast trays. ‘Can we sit with you?’ Sep asked.

‘Sure,’ Millie said.

Alice-Miranda didn’t miss the anxious look on Jacinta’s face and flashed her a comforting smile.

‘Figgy doesn’t seem too happy this morning,’ Sep said, nodding at the boy sitting on his own at a table for two.

‘I saw Miss Grimm and Mr Plumpton speaking to him before we went up to bed last night,’ Millie said. ‘About the goldfish.’

‘At least he’s still here,’ Lucas weighed in. ‘I thought Miss Grimm was going to put him on the first plane home.’

‘You have to admit it was a sweet idea to buy a goldfish for his host family, although not well thought through,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘They are considered to be very lucky.’

‘Not for Figgy,’ Sloane quipped, and the others laughed.

‘It looks like he and Rufus are back to their silly old selves,’ Millie said as the other boy reappeared from the breakfast buffet and frisbeed a croissant at the lad before sitting down opposite him. ‘Unlike you two.’ Millie eyeballed Lucas first, then Jacinta.

The girl gulped. She raised her eyebrows at Alice-Miranda, who shook her head.

Caprice was sitting on the next table munching on some toast and eavesdropping on their conversation.

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