heart racing. My mouth is dry and I have that horrible panicky feeling you get when you sleep too deep and too long during the day.
I snatch up my phone and answer without even looking at the screen. ‘Hello?’
‘Miss Miller?’ a voice says curtly. ‘St Benjamin Monks here. I’m afraid nobody has come to collect Skye and she’s getting quite upset.’
‘Oh God! What time is it . . . sorry. Sorry, I fell asleep, I’m on my way.’
I end the call before she can answer and rush to the door, slipping on my shoes and belting downstairs. I can’t believe I let this happen, school was out ten minutes ago.
I run. Up Palace Gate, down Kensington High Street, dodging pedestrians and pushchairs, drawing irritated stares as I plough my way through shoppers. My chest burns with exertion but I don’t stop until I get to the church and dash around the back to the school.
I get to the gate just as Miss Perkins and Skye appear at the main door, looking out for me. Gasping for breath, I wave and Skye breaks away from her teacher’s hand and runs to me, her face tear-streaked.
‘I’m sorry, sweetie. I’m so sorry.’ I pull her to me and she buries her head in my middle.
‘Why didn’t you come, Mummy?’
Miss Perkins reaches us. She’s holding a large piece of cream paper in one hand. She doesn’t look angry at my late arrival, merely impassive.
‘I can’t apologise enough,’ I tell her, still out of breath. ‘I fell asleep! I can’t believe I did it, I was just so tired and I lay down just for a few minutes and then the phone rang and . . . anyway, I’m so sorry.’
Miss Perkins nods without comment, and I feel bad that she’s been working all day in a busy classroom and I’m the one complaining of feeling tired.
Skye looks at her teacher and then back down at the ground.
‘No harm done,’ Miss Perkins says, and I think how kind it is of her to let me off the hook so readily. ‘We had . . . let’s just say, a little misunderstanding this morning, didn’t we Skye? But I think that’s been sorted out now.’
‘Javeed said I broke the wing off his papier-maché owl, Mummy, but I didn’t!’
‘Oh dear.’ I turn to the teacher, a bit nonplussed by Skye’s sudden outburst. ‘What happened?’
‘We put the bird sculptures outside the classroom to dry in the sun while we did PE in the hall, and when we came out, Javeed’s owl had been damaged.’
‘But why did he think it was you, Skye?’
She doesn’t answer but wipes tears away roughly with the back of her hand.
‘Skye went out in the middle of the lesson to use the bathroom and Javeed was convinced that’s when the damage was done,’ Miss Perkins says regretfully. ‘I’ve had a chat with Skye and she’s adamant she didn’t go near the artwork at all. Please don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll be forgotten tomorrow, but I thought it was best I mention it as she’s bound to be upset.’
‘Yes, of course. Thank you.’ This is not the start I’d hoped for, for Skye. I haven’t helped the situation in turning up late to collect her, either.
We wave goodbye to Miss Perkins and she hands Skye what I can now see is a painting. I take her rucksack and we walk out of the school grounds together.
‘I painted us at the park,’ she says glumly, holding up a painting. The paper is mainly bright green with daubed figures dotted here and there.
‘Oh, I see us! There we are, sitting on the blanket eating our sandwiches,’ I say. ‘Lovely. And who’s that?’ I point to two dark, featureless shapes standing under a nearby tree.
‘That’s Daddy and Janine,’ Skye says matter-of-factly. ‘And this one here’ – she indicates a small black figure lying prostrate on the ground nearby – ‘this is the little girl who used to live in my bedroom.’
35
When we get back to Adder House, I press the keypad and Skye rushes in, ploughing straight into a surprised Miss Lilian Brockley.
‘Ooh, sorry!’ Skye gasps, backing away.
‘So sorry,’ I say, rolling my eyes. ‘I hope she didn’t hurt you, Lily?’
‘Hurt me? Nonsense. I’m made of sterner stuff than that, my dear.’ She smiles at Skye and holds up her seed bag. ‘I’m just off round to the garden to feed the birds. Would you care to help me?’
‘Yes please! Can I, Mummy?’
‘Of course,’ I say, feeling relieved