An Enormously English Monsoon Wedding by Christina Jones

Author:Christina Jones [Jones, Christina]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: Fiction, General
ISBN: 9780748134298
Google: xeMcEiJff0MC
Amazon: B0091LLLKM
Publisher: Piatkus
Published: 2013-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-one

In the village hall, Gina stood back and admired their handiwork. The Indian gods and goddesses stood proudly round the room, looking like imperious, gaudy and ever-so-slightly out of place wallflowers waiting to be asked onto the floor at a Saturday night dance.

‘I think we can call this a success, don’t you?’ Gina blew her tousled curls away from her face. ‘It looks amazing.’

‘It does,’ Kam agreed. ‘And you’re OK with my little, um, idea?’

‘I think your little idea is a brainwave.’

‘Good.’ Kam smiled at her. ‘And of course it’ll have to be our secret.’

‘Oh, of course.’

‘And, as we haven’t got much time, we’ll have to have regular assignations to check and counter-check the development of our plans?’

‘Can’t wait,’ Gina laughed, noticing the rest of the villagers casting dubious looks in their direction. ‘We’d better join the others before they start noticing that we’re whispering in corners and get paranoid.’

Nalisha, now workmanlike in jeans and a white shirt knotted at the waist and showing an awful lot of toned midriff, smiled happily. ‘Thank you to everyone for helping, and for agreeing to come to my first dance class.’

Dora Wilberforce, her hair awry and her second-best summer frock – droopy beige with bottle-green geometric splatters – covered in dust, clapped her hands in delight. ‘They look wonderful. Such a clever idea of yours, young Nalisha, to bring a bit of life back to the village hall.’ She chuckled. ‘And I do like getting one over on Doug Boswell.’

Sid Duncan nodded vigorously. ‘It’s a great idea, duck. We needs a bit of summat different, and these here gods and goddesses are right perfect as a backdrop for your Bollywood sessions.’

Nalisha smiled some more. ‘As long as the other people who might use the village hall don’t object to being watched over by the Lords Krishna and Vishnu and the rest.’

Gina shook her head. ‘I can’t see it being a problem. Quite the opposite in fact. They’ll be a talking point. Something no other village hall has got.’

‘That’s true,’ Dora Wilberforce said vigorously. ‘It might even help to bring people back here. There’s no youth club any more, and the Cubs and Brownies and what have you all meet in the new community hall at Bluebell Common now.’

‘Ah, and Weight Watchers has moved to Daisy Bank,’ Mary Blundell added. ‘And the mums and toddlers group go to Maizey St Michael. It’s mostly just been us line dancers that have used the hall here for ages.’

Sid Duncan broke in. ‘And we need to get them – and more – back again. And this might just do it. There’s no one nosier than villagers – so as soon as they thinks we’ve got something special here, they’ll come back in their droves, you see. And as the village hall key holder, Nalisha, my duck, anyone who has any complaints will have me to answer to.’

‘Great.’ Nalisha smiled. ‘So, I’ll get some flyers printed off on my laptop and we’ll all meet up here next

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