‘And the scarlet and blue are an obvious homage to the time we caught Vivienne with May’s fiancé, wearing nothing but scarlet knickers. We know you love scarlet, Vivienne. And goodness, your freezing cold breasts were blue!’ Ada pointed her scissors in the air for emphasis.
To their credit, the Vincent sisters didn’t bother denying it, merely blustered and huffed while Ada and May continued to tidy up, faint smiles dancing at the edge of their identical mouths.
‘But all that was decades ago!’ Vivienne said, eventually. ‘We were silly young girls back then.’
‘We’ve been friends ever since you came back to the forest!’ Veronica chimed, accusingly. ‘Been on the Robin Hood Festival committee together.’
‘All those cricket matches and harvest festivals, and now you dothis?’ her sister said.
Ada and May placed the last couple of items in their suitcases and closed them with a decisive click.
‘All we can say is that we’re very sorry if you don’t like the results, but you did both ask for hair and brows that would suit you. We believe your new looks match your personalities perfectly.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Veronica asked as Ada and May swept past them, suitcases rolling behind.
May paused in the doorway, lifting one shoulder as she turned back to reply. ‘Ugly, absurd and rough as a toilet brush.’
‘Sixty-four years I’ve been waiting for you to apologise for helping yourself to my man!’ May called back as she continued down the hallway to the front door. ‘We decided we’d waited long enough.’
* * *
‘Jessie!’ Dad called as he hurtled out of the main hall and towards the library. ‘I just saw your message. What’s happened?’
Rather than answering, I stepped back and allowed him to skid right into the room, where Veronica and Vivienne had collapsed into chairs. Veronica was sobbing, Vivienne repeatedly muttering about how she’d have to wear a wig to her granddaughter’s engagement party.
‘Do they even make eyebrow wigs?’ she sniffed.
‘What on earth?’ Dad asked, spinning around to face me and mouthing, ‘Who is it?’
‘Veronica and Vivienne,’ I mouthed back.
If possible, his eyebrows disappeared even further into his fringe. ‘Ada and May?’ he asked quietly.
‘Yes it blinking well was that deranged cow Ada and her evil twin May,’ Vivienne shouted. ‘What the hell were you thinking, Tom, allowing those two unsupervised with a pair of scissors and a packet of dye? We can understand this poor, naïve child being hoodwinked, but you should know better after what happened with the helium balloons.’
‘I take it you aren’t happy with the new—’
‘Don’t even go there!’ Veronica growled.
‘Right. Yes. Of course. It goes without saying that we’ll undertake a thorough investigation followed by appropriate action.’
‘We’re in two minds as to whether to sue,’ Vivienne said. ‘At the very least, those maniacs need to be barred from the Barn for life! Do that, and we might consider changing our minds. Providing we are fully compensated for the cost of sorting this disgraceful mess out.’
At that point, I realised that Veronica’s shaking shoulders weren’t because she was crying.
‘Veronica?’ her sister asked, having spotted it at the same time.
‘I’m sorry,’ Veronica wheezed, clutching her wobbling stomach. ‘I can’t help it. You look so awful!’
Then she opened her mouth as wide as it went and let out a howl of laughter. ‘You look like an exotic caterpillar is crawling above each eye.’ She paused for another wave of guffaws. ‘You’ve got to hand it to them, they got us good!’
‘I suppose it was quite a spectacular revenge,’ Vivienne admitted, her own mouth starting to twitch. ‘And, blummin’ ’eck, Veronica, you’ve been hiding a grisly looking head underneath that hair.’
‘It’s hair; it’ll grow back,’ Veronica giggled. ‘It’s not like we haven’t got more important things to worry about.’
‘But they’ve ruined my chances of getting onLove Island!’ Vivienne said, full-on laughing along with her sister now. ‘Let alone our dream of a modelling contract.’
‘To be honest, I’ve always fancied trying a wig,’ Veronica said, as they both heaved themselves up out of the chairs, causing them to collapse back down again in another fit of giggles. ‘I might go blonde.’
