Free Wild Lily by K M Peyton

the dining-room cupboards – we can use those.’ Mountains of incredibly valuable china, Spode and Minton and Crown Derby, Lily thought, but she knew better than to protest.
    ‘We can punt it all across the day before, and everything we need. The food can be delivered straight there, we can carry it across the bridge ourselves. It will be ready-cooked, the joints and hams, and the desserts all made up, I’ve worked it all out, what to order.’
    ‘And the drink of course,’ said Simon.
    ‘Yes, from Father’s wine merchant. He knows.’
    ‘What, your father?’
    ‘No, the wine merchant, ass. I’m tipping him to keep it under his hat.’
    ‘Your father’s bound to find out.’
    ‘Yes, but it’ll be long over when he comes home. And he won’t mind. He’s never given me a party in my life before so I’ll say it’s a birthday party really, a bit late. That’s all. He owes it me.’
    Lily was pretty sure it was not going to be the sort of birthday party Antony’s father would approve of, but nobody mentioned the obvious. It was too much fun doing it their own way. Lily had been told not to tell her father, but she knew that he was already aware of something going on, and so was probably most of the village. He didn’t ask her, saying only, obscurely, ‘Know nought, say nought, that’s my motto.’
    ‘Maybe you could do your jump at the party, Lily, when we’ve practised it first. It would be fantastic—’
    ‘What, into the lake, to amuse your friends? I don’t love you that much, Antony. I’m only doing it once, without anyone seeing, somewhere private. And even then I might not, when the moment comes.’
    ‘Soon, Lily. The next time I’m here when the weather’s right. No wind. In the dawn, just when it’s light but everyone is still asleep. It will be wonderful.’
    Will it? Lily wondered. Her insides tingled at the thought. It was big in her head now, this thing she had to do, and it filled her with excitement, misgiving, downright panic. But she knew if she refused it, she would never forgive herself.
    Aunt Maud went home, taking the dog, and Squashy cried inconsolably, driving Lily mad.
    ‘Barky loved him too. We both want him!’
    ‘He’ll come back when Aunt Maud comes again. Not long, I expect.’ Not in the middle of Antony’s party, she prayed. Aunt Maud had intimated that with her brother expected to be in South America for a few weeks over the summer, she might ‘drop in’ to keep an eye on Antony. Antony had lied toher and told her he was going to be staying with friends in the early summer, and she said she would come later, though she also needed to check her itinerary for her annual trip to the French Riviera. One could only pray.
    ‘The old bat! She thinks I’m not to be trusted.’
    A wise old bat, Lily thought, but did not say. ‘Forget about her. She’s a pain. Nice dog though.’
    ‘Yes, nice dog.’
    Squashy started to cry again.
    ‘I want Ludo!’
    Lily wanted to hit him, but knew she couldn’t. Oh, to be up in the sky, floating slowly down with the clouds all round and the sun shining on her and her soul free like a bird … she longed for it suddenly: a rare, rare brightness beckoning, which she would remember for ever. Antony said it was as safe as houses, and no one else knew they were going to do it.

APRIL, 1922
9
    ‘Now the weather’s warmer, the first Sunday with no wind. Early in the morning, so no one will see,’ Antony had said on a Long Leave at home in the spring.
    Already Lily could feel the excitement mounting.
    ‘If I come home specially, you won’t funk out, will you? You won’t let me down? I trust you.’ His eyes had been challenging.
    ‘I might at the last moment. How can I tell? I might not be able to make myself—’
    ‘I shall never forgive you.’
    ‘How can I tell though? If it was you – it’s not as if the plane’s on fire or anything so’s you’ve got to get out. Only a bit of fun.’
    ‘I know you can, Lily. That’s