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Back The Lollipop Shoes
Chapters (96)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Book
  3. The Lollipop Shoes
  4. Dedication
  5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  6. PART ONE
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. PART TWO
  13. 1
  14. 2
  15. 3
  16. 4
  17. 5
  18. 6
  19. 7
  20. 8
  21. PART THREE
  22. 1
  23. 2
  24. 3
  25. 4
  26. 5
  27. 6
  28. PART FOUR
  29. 1
  30. 2
  31. 3
  32. 4
  33. 5
  34. 6
  35. 7
  36. 8
  37. 9
  38. PART FIVE
  39. 1
  40. 2
  41. 3
  42. 4
  43. 5
  44. 6
  45. 7
  46. 8
  47. 9
  48. 10
  49. 11
  50. 12
  51. PART SIX
  52. 1
  53. 2
  54. 3
  55. 4
  56. 5
  57. 6
  58. 7
  59. 8
  60. 9
  61. 10
  62. 11
  63. 12
  64. PART SEVEN
  65. 1
  66. 2
  67. 3
  68. 4
  69. 5
  70. 6
  71. 7
  72. 8
  73. 9
  74. PART EIGHT
  75. 1
  76. 2
  77. 3
  78. 4
  79. 5
  80. 6
  81. 7
  82. 8
  83. 9
  84. 10
  85. 11
  86. 12
  87. 13
  88. 14
  89. 15
  90. 16
  91. 17
  92. 18
  93. 19
  94. Epilogue
  95. About the Author
  96. Also by Joanne Harris

Roux looked stubborn. When he makes up his mind, it’s hard to change it. It’s so unfair – my two best friends—

‘You’d like her. Really. I know you would. She looks after us—’

‘If I believed that, I’d be gone by now. As it is—’

‘You’ll stay?’

I forgot about being mad at Roux and threw my arms around his neck. ‘You’ll come to our party on Christmas Eve?’

‘Well . . .’ He sighed.

‘Fabulous! That way you can really get to know Zozie. And you can meet Rosette properly – oh Roux, I’m so glad you’re staying.’

‘Yeah. Me too.’

But he didn’t sound glad. In fact he sounded worried as hell. Still, the plan worked, which is what counts. Rosette and I managed to change the wind—

‘So, how are you doing for cash?’ I said. ‘I’ve got . . .’ I looked in my pocket. ‘Sixteen euros and some change, if it helps. I was going to buy Rosette a birthday present, but . . .’

‘No,’ he said, a bit sharply, I thought. He’s never been good at taking money, so perhaps it was the wrong thing to say. ‘I’m fine, Anouk.’

Well, he didn’t look fine. I could see that now. And if he wasn’t getting paid—

I made the sign of the Ear of Maize and pressed my palm against his hand. It’s a good-luck sign that Zozie taught me; for wealth and riches and food and stuff. I don’t know how it works, but it does; Zozie used it in the chocolaterie, to make more customers buy Maman’s truffles, and though obviously that won’t help Roux, I’m hoping it’ll work some other way, like getting him another job, or a Lotto win, or finding some money in the street. And I made it glow in my mind’s eye, so that it shone against his skin like sparkly dust. That ought to do it, Roux, I thought. That way it won’t be charity.

‘Will you come round before Christmas Eve?’

He shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I’ve got – a few things to sort out before then.’

‘But you’ll come to the party? Promise?’ I said.

‘I promise,’ said Roux.

‘Cross your heart and hope to die?’

‘Cross my heart. And hope to die.’

9

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Sunday, 16th December

ROUX DIDN’T COME to work today. In fact, he hasn’t been there all weekend. It turns out that he left early on Friday, checked out of the hostel in which he was staying, and hasn’t been seen by anyone since.

I suppose I should have expected as much. After all, I asked him to leave. So why do I feel so strangely bereft? And why do I keep looking out for him?