Olivia's Enchanted Summer by Lyn Gardner

Author:Lyn Gardner [Lyn Gardner]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780857630490
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Published: 2012-03-24T16:00:00+00:00

Later that afternoon, Olivia and Georgia walked up the Royal Mile towards St Giles’ Cathedral. They had slipped away from the group of Swans who were handing out flyers for the next performance.

“Georgie and I are going to try a bit further up,” Olivia had said casually.

“I saw Evie and Tati head that way, they should have it covered,” said Aeysha.

“Oh well, it’s still best if we spread out,” said Olivia. “You stay here with the little ones.”

She and Georgia pushed their way through the crowds who were watching the Fringe acts perform in the late-afternoon sunshine. People kept trying to thrust flyers for shows into their hands. They had put their own flyers in Georgia’s bag.

“Come and see Macbeth performed on a bouncy castle!” entreated a young man.

“Four-star reviews for a puppet version of Oedipus Rex. Described as ‘blindingly good’ by the Guardian,” said a woman, waving a leaflet under their noses.

Olivia and Georgia smiled and shook their heads politely. They knew how soul destroying it was to try and sell your show every day, and they had total sympathy for the desperate performers. They had almost reached the cathedral when Olivia spotted the boy-magician. She was irresistibly drawn towards him, even though Georgia pointed at her watch and said it was nearly five.

“Let’s just stop a minute,” said Olivia. “We need to wait until Evie, Tati and Mitch are there, otherwise they might spot us. We can creep up behind them and maybe then we’ll be able to hear what they say.”

There was a dense throng gathered around the boy, so they stood on a bench. Even so, they were just able to see him over the heads of the crowd. The boy was in the middle of a complicated card trick but he noticed Olivia and Georgia and gave them a wink. His resemblance to Jack was so astonishing that Olivia felt faint. She knew that her dad had laughed when she’d asked him if he had any other children, but how did she know he was telling the truth?

Olivia grasped Georgia’s sleeve. She felt a terrible urge to confide her fear that this boy must be her dad’s secret son. What other explanation could there possibly be? She needed to talk to someone about it.

“Georgie,” she said, “I know you’re going to think I’m insane, but that boy… That boy, I think he could be…”

Olivia stopped. She felt that if she said it out loud she might make it true. Georgia looked quizzically at her, waiting for her to continue. Olivia was very pale and looked so anxious that Georgia felt worried for her friend.

“Are you all right, Livy?” she asked, when at that moment the cathedral bell started to sound. It was five o’clock.

“It’s nothing,” mumbled Olivia. “I’m just being silly. Forget I said anything.” She took a deep breath and jumped down from the bench. “Quick, Georgie, we’ve got to go to the cathedral or we’ll miss Evie, Tati and the mysterious Mitch.”

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