The vines had full leaf coverage now and the grapes were growing fat. Set against the blue of the sky, the green of the vines was like the green in a child’s drawing. Vibrant. As if each leaf were lit from the inside. But all was not well. As the date of the harvest approached, so too did the date of Kelly’s rave. It got out of control quickly. By the time Guy was able to convince Hilarian that Kelly was serious, news of the planned event was already out on the Internet. “You’ve got to stop her,” Guy told Hilarian. “Surely the trustees can kick her out.” Hilarian had no doubt that they would, given half a chance. Just that week he’d traveled to Slough for a meeting with Reginald and Georgina at the offices of Reginald’s accountancy firm. The legitimate Mollison children were squabbling over the will, and somehow Reginald had heard about Kelly’s drunken debacle at the wine fair. He wanted to cut Kelly’s allowance to teach her a lesson. Hilarian had argued long and hard to give the girl some leeway.
