Page 56 of The Midnight Carousel

‘I’m so glad you’re here,’ Maisie says. ‘I was beginning to think I might never see you again.’

Mrs Papadopoulos strokes Maisie’s hair.

‘If you just ask me to come, I come. There are no hard feelings. You choose different company for milk, it is fine.’

Maisie straightens up. ‘You mean we have no hard feelings that you got a better offer elsewhere,’ she corrects. Mrs Papadopoulos wears a quizzical expression, and the penny drops. ‘Are you saying that Hugo switched tradespeople without telling me?’

Maisie can’t believe she needs to clarify the situation. Sir Malcolm’s will made it very clear that she holds the controlling interest in Silver Kingdom. Is this some sort of coup?

Mrs Papadopoulos looks uncomfortable.

‘No. Your husband. He say you find better price elsewhere. But he will give you my telephone number to talk. Then you never call.’

There’s a loud cheer from the direction of the shore. Maisie can see a flash of yellow as the flotilla of pleasure boats drifts away from the pier. The fireworks are about to start.

‘But I didn’t find a better price… I never got your number… that’s not what happened…’ Maisie stumbles over the words, confused. There’s only one way to clear this up. ‘Save me a place near the water; I’ll join you soon,’ she says to Mrs Papadopoulos. ‘I need to find James.’

There must have been a miscommunication. Why would James go behind her back like this– what would be the reason to? As Mrs Papadopoulos heads off, Maisie holds the pole and manoeuvres herself off the horse.

A loud bang makes her jump. A fountain of blue light streams through the air, illuminating Silver Kingdom in a sparkling dome.

Shadowy areas are now lit up, and she can see a pair of partygoers heading this way, deep in earnest conversation.

A prickling unease takes hold as Maisie recognizes her husband with Freddie.

The men advance towards the carousel. For a fraction of a second, a look of surprise crosses James’s face when he spots Maisie standing on the platform, looking down. Then he smiles broadly.

‘I thought you were enjoying the party,’ he says. ‘Freddie wanted a personal tour of the park. Isn’t that right, Freddie?’

James shoots Freddie a quick glance. Maisie’s unease magnifies. Her husband has broken his promise to keep that man away.

‘As I told your wife before, this is a very nice set-up.’ He looks at Maisie. ‘And it’s even more impressive at night, Mrs Squires. Have you ever considered extending your opening hours? Your takings would probably grow by twenty-two per cent, at a guess.’

Maisie plays her fingers through the necklace. There’s detail to this idea that suggests it hasn’t just been plucked from thin air.

‘I’ll certainly think about it,’ she replies through gritted teeth.

An awkward silence persists. Maisie looks between the men. James focuses on adjusting his cufflinks, while Freddie’s eyes shine with mischief.

‘On that note, I shall leave you two sweethearts to it. I just wanted to check in on my collateral,’ he says, strolling off.

Maisie’s mind swirls. Collateral?

There are a series of explosions as more fireworks soar through the night sky. Maisie feels sick to her stomach. Placing her hands on her hips, she surveys her husband through narrowed eyes.

‘Well?’ she demands. ‘What’s Freddie doing here? And what does he mean by collateral?’

She can feel anger bubble up.

‘Darling, let’s talk this through calmly.

I see it as a loan from Silver Kingdom that I intend to pay once this latest deal goes through.

’ His voice is as silky as ever, steady and strong.

‘I needed as much money as I could get my hands on to invest. It’s why I accepted Freddie’s offer of a loan.

All he asked in return was the carousel as security in case anything goes wrong,’ he explains.

‘Which it won’t, of course,’ he adds quickly.

Maisie is reeling. Though she has no idea if James can legally use her property against a loan, Mr Fortescue doesn’t seem the type to concern himself with the law– and her gut tells her that he isn’t a man to cross.

‘Then how could you afford this necklace?’ she asks.

James smiles smugly. ‘I thought it would be nice to use a little of the loan to treat my wonderful wife.’

So it was paid for with Freddie’s money.

The park is spinning, juddering. James has brought the menace of that man to their door. He’s put the carousel at risk, Silver Kingdom at risk, and threatened the livelihood of their family.

‘How much is the loan?’ she asks, collecting her thoughts.

‘You’re making too much of something minor, darling,’ he responds glibly.

Maisie stares at him. James still hasn’t grasped the gravity of the situation. ‘How much?’ she repeats.

‘Two thousand dollars,’ he admits, his confidence faltering for the first time.

Maisie mutters under her breath. Wrenching the necklace from around her neck, she flings it at him.

‘There’s part of your loan paid back to Freddie.’

She strides down the platform steps and past the closed hotdog stand.

James follows hot on her heels. He tries to talk to her, but Maisie isn’t listening.

They’re approaching the gate to the house when she spots Mrs Papadopoulos loitering near the office.

She must have heard the fracas and hung back to check on her friend.

As Maisie remembers why she wanted to speak to James in the first place, she becomes aware that his hand is settled on her back, apparently steering her away from crossing paths with Mrs Papadopoulos. She glances at him.

‘What are you…’ she begins.

Blushing, James looks away. An awful realization hits Maisie that he looks guilty.

The discovery that he’s desperate for any money he can lay his hands on.

Inferior products from their new tradespeople.

Keeping Maisie and Mrs Papadopoulos apart.

It’s obvious now that James must have switched Silver Kingdom to cheaper tradespeople, faking invoices with higher prices so he could cream off the profits.

Maisie keeps steady on her path, giving Mrs Papadopoulos a small head shake to signal that she doesn’t need help.

Ignoring James’s ever louder excuses, ignoring the maelstrom of partygoers, Maisie crosses the gardens and sweeps into the house. Upstairs, she stretches up and removes a box of money– her secret stash of the profits and salary she has saved– from above her wardrobe. She hands the lot to James.

‘And that’s the remainder of the loan paid off.’ She gives him a cold stare. ‘This is so the carousel isn’t used as collateral. I shall check that Freddie gets it.’

James looks awestruck.

‘Darling,’ he says breathlessly. ‘Darling, that’s very generous of you. You’ll get it back soon, I promise.’

Maisie can’t stand the sight of him. Being wanted isn’t enough, she realizes. She has to want James back.

‘And you’re going to pack your things and move out of the house,’ she says in a firm voice. ‘Tonight.’