Free Summer of Secrets by Rosie Rushton Page A

double-page spread!’
    One look at her father’s face told her that saying any more would be a very bad idea.
    Within seconds, the doorbell was ringing again.
    ‘Oh, for pity’s sake!’ Mr Morland stormed out of the room. They heard the front door being yanked open.
    ‘I thought I made it quite clear–– oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t realise . . . Yes, of course, come in, my dear.’
    Caitlin and Jamie both started at the sound of a familiar voice; a moment later, their father returned, looking acutely embarrassed and closely followed by a very tearful Izzy.
    ‘I’m so sorry, really I am.’ Izzy sniffed, dabbing her eyes with a tissue and accepting the glass of lemonade that Caitlin’s mother offered her.
‘I should have phoned before I came, but it’s just that, well, Caitlin’s my closest friend and you’re such lovely people – and I didn’t know . . .’
    She’s good, I’ll give her that, thought Caitlin, as she watched her mother soften before her very eyes.
    ‘. . . and Jamie said if there was ever anything he could do for me and, right now, just being with him would help so much . . .’
    She looked up at Caitlin’s brother and gave him a watery smile. Jamie put a protective arm around her shoulder and glared defiantly at his parents.
    ‘I thought, where can I go to get away from all the phone calls – they’ve even got my mobile number and . . . well, here was the only place really. So I called a cab and just
came.’
    She sniffed and pressed her lips together.
    ‘I’m sorry if it’s imposing – only Dad’s holed up with the PM . . .’
    She paused to see the effect that her name-dropping had on the assembled company.
    ‘You mean . . . the Prime Minister ?’ Caitlin’s mother satisfied her urge.
    ‘Mmm,’ Izzy went on, ‘and Mum keeps crying . . .’
    ‘Of course you’re not imposing,’ Mrs Morland insisted. ‘I’m glad you felt able to come to us. Whatever is going on with your parents, it shouldn’t be allowed
to affect you. Isn’t that right, Edward?’
    ‘Absolutely.’ He nodded.
    Parents, thought Caitlin, are so two-faced at times.
    ‘I’ll just go and water those tomatoes,’ muttered her father, getting to his feet with more alacrity than he had shown all morning. ‘Leave you in peace.’
    ‘Edward . . .’ Mrs Morland protested, but he’d already disappeared through the back door.
    ‘Of course, Dad’s done nothing wrong, nothing at all,’ Izzy continued firmly. ‘He just likes to unwind from the stress of being in office. And he wasn’t really
flirting at the Ball, it was just . . .’
    She stopped, clearly worried that she’d said too much.
    ‘Never mind all that,’ Jamie burst out. ‘How do you feel about a holiday?’
    ‘Fat chance now,’ Izzy replied. ‘Dad will say––’
    ‘Not with them, with me,’ Jamie went on. ‘You and me are off to Italy.’
    ‘Italy? You and me? What do you mean?’ Izzy gave the impression of being a cerebrally-challenged four-year-old as her eyes widened and she clamped a hand to her mouth. ‘I
don’t understand.’
    Caitlin appreciated why Izzy had been awarded a drama scholarship.
    ‘Summer’s invited us. All we have to do is pay for our air fare.’
    ‘Summer? We’re going with Summer?’ Izzy’s face fell.
    ‘That’s OK, isn’t it?’ Jamie suddenly looked anxious. ‘I mean, we’ll do lots of stuff on our own. You can have all the privacy you want.’
    Izzy recovered herself.
    ‘It’s like a dream come true,’ she cried. ‘Oh, I can’t believe it – you’ve saved my life!’
    She looked at Jamie with the sort of expression most people reserve for new-born babies or small spaniels with floppy ears.
    ‘And your parents, dear?’ Mrs Morland queried. ‘They won’t mind you going off with Jamie and Caitlin?’
    ‘Course not,’ Izzy assured her. ‘They’re really laid-back and open-minded – they let me do more or less what I like.’
    ‘What a surprise,’ Mrs Morland