‘Um, on that?’ said Polly, stunned. She went over to Reuben and kissed him. ‘Happy eighth dad half-birthday.’
Round the point was sailing, astoundingly, a proper schooner, flying a Jolly Roger.
‘You’re having a party with a real pirate ship?’
‘Yuh,’ said Reuben, as if this was both obvious and reasonable.
The boat tacked around, to be hidden until it was properly needed.
‘Are you sure this party is for Lowin?’ said Polly, teasing him.
‘No,’ said Reuben, who had no ear for sarcasm whatsoever. ‘It’s for me. Lowin would rather be playing on his Xbox.’
‘Is that where he is?’ said Kerensa. ‘I should get him into his knickerbockers.’
‘You’re not,’ said Polly. ‘Kerensa!’
‘What?’ said Kerensa. ‘I am still waiting for my baby girl and I haven’t got her yet, and until then I shall dress up my baby boy how I please.’
‘Quite right,’ said Reuben, putting his arm round her. ‘Look at all this bay.’
‘It’s fabulous,’ said Kerensa, kissing him.
Polly smiled. ‘Okay, come on, back to the galley, worker ant,’ she said to Marisa, who still hadn’t quite recovered from the pirates.
‘This is . . .’
‘It’s just his way.’
‘Why don’t you sell him the bakery?’
‘Because he’d only be doing it as a favour,’ said Polly. ‘And we’re friends. And I want to keep it that way.’
At two p.m. people started to arrive; not in dribs and drabs, like at a normal party, but all at once, in a massive rush, as if everyone had been waiting in the car park on the other side of the dunes until they got the signal to enter, which was in fact exactly what had happened.
Kerensa’s mother, who worshipped Lowin quite as much as the rest of his relatives and not entirely to the benefit of Lowin, ushered the boy down. He was indeed in velvet pantaloons which made him look, like his doting father, rather more padded in the bottom area than you’d expect from a young boy, and a billowing white shirt.
‘He looks like a little prince!’ said Kerensa, clasping her hands to her mouth.
‘This is a STUPID outfit,’ said Lowin. ‘I want an Arsenal kit.’
‘Darling,’ said Kerensa. Lowin went up to Polly who gave him a kiss and a cuddle.
‘Hello, bruiser. Happy half-birthday.’
‘Did you get me an Arsenal kit?’
‘I didn’t. But Daisy and Avery are bringing your presents.’
‘Is there one between them or two?’
‘There’s two.’
Lowin brightened at this information.
‘I think they might be snake-related. Well, Avery’s is.’
‘Oh, snakes are super boring, Auntie Polly,’ said Lowin. ‘I like pirates now.’
‘Okay,’ said Polly, smiling rather tightly.
‘And you’re going to make me pizza?’
‘As much as you like. As long as you keep on the trousers your mum picked out for you.’
His face twisted.
‘For a bit,’ Polly whispered. ‘It’s a beautiful day: why don’t you lead everyone in swimming?’
She’d already checked: there were about forty lifeguards and an RNLI boat already stationed to look over everyone’s special darlings.
His face brightened immediately.
‘And I have red swimming trunks.’
‘Those sound like Arsenal swimming trunks.’
‘They kind of are!’
‘Well then.’
They exchanged a high five and the boy went off to do his unfortunately dull duty of greeting all his guests, and the slightly better duty of watching the pile of gifts grow exponentially in the afternoon heat, to be borne off by staff to a room in the big house used more or less solely for unwrapping presents.
There were so many people. This was not, Marisa surmised, the kind of party where parents dumped their children and ran, pleased for a couple of hours’ freedom. There were huge extended families roaming about, as well as lots and lots of glamorous people who didn’t seem to have children at all, strolling around in long silk kaftans or white suits, with glasses of endless Champagne served by waiting staff – even the waiting staff, Marisa noticed, were unbelievably attractive. It was the most ridiculous party ever.
But, she was amazed to notice, she knew almost everyone there. Everyone who came in for pizza; who had waved and said hello up and down the hill. All of the friendly fishing crew. Mrs Bradley and Mrs Baillie, complaining about things as usual. Linnet and Denys were there, Denys in his wheelchair down by the water.
‘Oh my goodness,’ said Marisa. ‘I married those two. I thought Denys was . . .’
‘In remission,’ said Polly. ‘Some kind of Stevie Wonder miracle, I heard.’
Marisa blinked, as more and more people smiled and waved.
But there was only one person she wanted to see.
No. She was here for work. was already feeling sweaty and the ovens were only just heating up. She put her hand to her cheek and took a long pull of water. Children were coming up to explore, and Polly was patiently explaining that yes they did have lots for everyone, and no there weren’t any vegetables on them, and yes they did gluten-free and yes they would do one without tomato sauce and yes they would make sure the cheese wasn’t too gooey and no there weren’t any hidden vegetables in the sauce and, finally satisfied, the children then caught sight of the full-size sweetshop and the ice cream van and the funfair, and were struck more or less dumb.
‘I think I’m going to get Daisy and Avery on the waltzers before they start eating,’ said Polly with the hard-earned wisdom of one who has spent an astonishing amount of the last five years cleaning up vomit.
She was actually slightly worried, even beyond Daisy seeing the snake. The twins were of course invited because of the closeness of the two families. But everyone else was eight going on nine; strapping children who were perfectly safe to run in and out of the water, clamber up to the top of the helter skelter or grab hot fish and chips.
She was also concerned that while the two families spent a lot of time together and Lowin deigned to play with them when there was nobody else around, he was with his own peer group now. She didn’t blame him, but he was absolutely the King of the Eight-year-olds today. She hoped Daisy and Avery’s cheerful insistence as to how much he was going to love the cards they had specially made for him because he was their very most special friend wasn’t going to make them too downcast.
Everyone in the school, from the reception babies up, knew all about Lowin’s party and Daisy and Avery were the only chosen few not from year three actually getting to attend, so their status and excitement levels were sky high. Polly made a mental note to tell Huckle yet again that he couldn’t take his eyes off them for a second, however much he himself would be looking forward to seeing his own friends and having a lovely day at the beach. It was a running joke that he was the laid-back parent and she was the fretter, but even on a glorious day like today, she absolutely couldn’t relax.
Of course, Kerensa had a horde of spare nannies she’d hired for the day so people could enjoy themselves, but the idea of having to ask – never mind expecting the twins to cheerfully accept a nanny when none of the other children had one – was a completely unlikely scenario. She couldn’t deny she was worried.