Blue Lavender Girl by Judy May Read Free Book Online Page B

and a bench that runs right around the edge. The door is the best. It’s made of wood and has iron fancy bits that look like ivy all over it. Anyway it was totally empty except for a cardboard box with a grey baby rabbit inside. Jackson seemed at a bit of a loss for how to explain it.
    ‘I caught these kids trying to put it in the lake to see if it could swim. And when I yelled they just ran off and left it there on the bank. I’ve been feeding himwater and grass, but I don’t really know what to do. Jenny is usually the one who’s good in these situations.’
    Suddenly I wanted to prove to Jackson that I was every bit as caring as Jenny so I scooped up the rabbit (luckily it let me and didn’t bite me or anything!) and fed it one of the carrots Jackson had put on the bench.
    ‘It’ll be too dangerous around here for the poor little thing, what with foxes and dogs, so you’ll need to keep him in your bedroom,’ I said.
    ‘I’ll need to sneak the box past Mr Walsh and Grandfather.’
    ‘Or just keep him in your pocket and make him a bed from a t-shirt once you’re in there. Is your grandfather hard of hearing by any chance?’
    ‘Completely deaf. This morning I asked him what he wanted for breakfast, and he answered that I was under no circumstances to swim until the weather got warmer. His nurse says you have to shout right up close if you want him to hear.’
    ‘Great, then he won’t hear this little thing scratching about.’
    Jenny has no such hearing problems, and she heard us talking while on her way to the tearoom andcame over to the hut. She squealed a lot when she saw the baby rabbit and asked what its name was. And because Jackson is in love with her he asked her to name it, so now it is called Cutie-Pie, or just Pie for short, and travels around in the large front pocket of Jackson’s jacket.
    We needed some soft things to sit on, to make the tearoom more comfortable for hanging around in. The plan was that we would all go up to the Big House and then Jenny and I would wait on the lawn below Jackson’s bedroom window and catch blankets and pillows as he threw them down.
    They were not blankets and pillows like in any other house, but really heavy and fancy throws and velvet embroidered cushions.
    ‘Good catch Jenny,’ Jackson shouted from above and I remembered his grandfather is deaf so we could do that.
    ‘Thanks,’ she yelled back as he ducked back in to fetch more.
    I wanted to yell, ‘Bum!’, or something much worse, as loud as I could because it would have been so out of keeping with where we were, but I remembered my goal to be a great dancer and great dancers don’t do things like that.
    I don’t know why, but I suddenly blurted out, ‘You don’t have a thing for Jackson do you?’
    ‘God, no!’ Jenny said.
    I was very pleased to hear that. There’s no way I could hang out with them if they got together, they are sappy enough as friends, both so nice all the time. Imagine if they got all loved-up as well!
    One of the pillows had gone flying so I went to fetch it back to the pile and saw Mr Walsh in the distance. He seemed to be on his knees at the door of the fancy hut (I bet there’s a proper word for it, I must ask Aunt Maisie.)
    I have worked out what is wrong with Jackson, he is too polite and formal even when he is very relaxed. He also has no pride for being so obvious about Jenny when she isn’t into him. Also, he doesn’t care that he isn’t cool in any way. Also, there are other things that I haven’t got exactly the right way of describing yet.
    We spent the rest of the day in the tearoom, hanging out, doing a bit of arranging and also fussing over Cutie-Pie. Mr Walsh came past, but as soon as he saw us he turned around and back across the lavender field.
    ‘That man is up to something,’ Jackson said.
    ‘Definitely,’ we agreed. And it felt like we were better friends because we all didn’t like Mr Walsh.
    Just as we were finishing the last bits, someone