Free Alice Parker & the Curse of Fate by Nicola Palmer

annoying,’ groaned Ingrid, looking rather embarrassed. ‘But
the television is quite old. I must go to town and buy a new one
tomorrow.’
    ‘ I’ll
help you choose one, if you like,’ Thomas offered.
    ‘ Thank you.
Sorry everyone; no more television tonight!’
    ‘ What a shame
we are not closer to Berlin,’ said Brigitte. ‘I am sure
Matthias could fix it. He is very good at repairing appliances.’
    ‘ He’s
had plenty of practice on people’s teeth,’ replied
Thomas.
    ‘ I’ll go
and make us some tea,’ said Grandma. ‘Will you come and
help, Alice?’
    Reluctantly Alice
followed her grandma downstairs. She knew she was going to get told
off for over-reacting. But she couldn’t help it. She was on
edge all the time. She clattered some mugs noisily on to a tray and
searched for the sugar bowl.
    ‘ Aren’t
you going to say something?’ she asked.
    ‘ No,
actually,’ said Grandma calmly. ‘I just thought it would
be better if you left the room before Brigitte or Ingrid asked any
more questions.’
    ‘ Oh.’
Alice kicked herself when she remembered what she had shouted out in
fear. ‘I hope Thomas can think of an excuse if they ask him.’
    ‘ I’m
sure he will, my love. He has an excuse for everything.’

Chapter 8

    A
Flaming Disaster

    Luckily for Alice no
one mentioned her little outburst, and after a hot drink she managed
to sleep peacefully through the night. She had Maxi and Morritz to
thank for that. Ingrid allowed them to sleep in Alice’s room
since they clearly adored her, and she felt much safer in their
company.
    The following
morning, after a hearty breakfast, Ingrid took everyone on a tour of
the farm. It was a sunny, frosty morning – perfect for a brisk
walk – and Alice was glad of the opportunity to clear her head
in the fresh air. The dogs bounded across the fields in excitement,
as if showing off just how much space they had to run free.
    ‘ Jack would
love it here!’ enthused Alice.
    ‘ Don’t
get any ideas,’ warned Thomas. ‘We’re not driving
to Germany with him in the car! That journey down to Arcanum Cove
was bad enough!’
    ‘ Your enormous
animal would not be welcome in my apartment either,’ Brigitte
informed her.
    Alice pulled a face.
‘Are you sure you two are sisters?’ she asked Grandma.
    ‘ Shh! You’re
starting to sound like your Grandad!’
    Hearing a text
message alert, Alice reached in to her pocket. Ralph wanted to know
if she was OK. She had tried not to think about him since they
arrived at the farm, by making herself focus on other things. She did
not want to reveal her location but this message would spoil that –
Ralph was on her mind now. What a sneaky move!
    Fine thanks.
Nice place. Hope to do some sightseeing soon x
    She felt sure she
could have replied to Ralph by thought, but preferred the
conventional method. After much consideration she removed the kiss
before sending the message. It was too much, she thought. Some
people, like Sarah, put kisses on the end of messages to everyone,
but it didn’t feel right to Alice.
    At the end of a long
walk admiring the fields in the winter sunlight and Ingrid’s
impressive flock of two hundred sheep, they stopped at the stables on
the way back to the house. Ingrid introduced them to Heinrich, who
was feeding the horses.
    ‘ These are my
three beauties!’ announced Ingrid proudly, stroking the noses
of her horses who were observing their visitors with interest.
‘Would you like to ride while you are here?’
    ‘ Yes please!’
replied Alice enthusiastically. Grandma and Brigitte shook their
heads. Thomas hesitated, not wanting to look cowardly.
    ‘ Why don’t
you do that while I go in to town with Ingrid?’ he suggested.
    ‘ Ha! I might
have known you’d prefer televisions to horses!’ laughed
Alice. ‘Good excuse, though!’
    Ingrid nodded in
amusement. ‘Fine. Heinrich is here to help you, Alice.’
    ‘ I won’t
need help. Can I ride this one?’ She pointed to the