‘Sancerre,’ Mrs Meadows answered for him. ‘You look as scrawny as always, Master Orlando. That young lady of yours not feeding you?’ She nodded at me and smiled.
‘I can assure you, she feeds me as well as you used to. Come, Miss Star.’
We sat down at a knotted pine table and Orlando slumped onto his wooden chair, shaking his head. ‘I am grieving. Yet another part of my former life has disappeared. Meadows’ Bookshop was a shining beacon of peace and tranquillity lighting up my childhood memories. And now it has gone.’
Having eaten our chicken pies, which were indeed delicious, Orlando asked Mrs Meadows if ‘the establishment possessed broadband’. She duly took Orlando and his laptop to an office in the back.
In the meantime, I went to explore Tenterden, savouring the town’s unique Englishness, with its quaint houses and shops set along narrow paved streets. I peered through the window of a toyshop, strewn with fake cobwebs, plastic spiders and broomsticks. As it was Halloween the day after tomorrow, I decided it would be fun for Rory to celebrate it, as my sisters and I had always done at Atlantis. Pa Salt had told us that the Seven Sisters of the Pleiades were nearing their highest point in the sky at Halloween, so it had always felt like our very own holiday. When he was home, he’d take us up into his observatory and, one by one, let each of us look through the telescope at the star cluster. It was always me who had a problem finding my star – Asterope. It didn’t seem to shine as brightly as my other sisters’ stars.
‘But you have two stars to your name, darling. They’re just so close together that they look like one. See?’
And Pa Salt had lifted me up again. And I had seen.
‘Perhaps I’m your twin star,’ CeCe had piped up.
‘No, CeCe, you have your own star,’ Pa had told her gently. ‘And it’s very close by.’
Having collected a Harry Potter costume for Rory, I bought a witch’s cloak and hat for me, and a wizard outfit for Orlando. At least I knew I’d have no problem persuading him to dress up. I then paused in front of a pair of mouse ears, whiskers and a long tail. And, chuckling to myself, put them by the till too. I walked back along the high street with my bulging bag, then paused to buy a pumpkin.
‘Good God! Let a woman loose amongst shops and she’ll bankrupt her family in the blink of an eye.’ Orlando was standing out on the street.
‘I bought some supplies for Halloween.’
‘High Weald is already awash with ghosts of the past, but I suppose it can always do with a few more. Now, just look at this.’ He pointed to the shop next door to the delicatessen, its bay window dominated by a large TO LET sign. ‘So sad,’ he sighed. ‘So very, very sad.’
By Halloween, I’d become used to the Fiat’s eccentricities. I dropped Rory at school, telling him there’d be a surprise waiting for him at High Weald later. On the way home, I carried on a few yards further and turned left into Home Farm. He can only say no, I thought as I marched to the back door and knocked.
‘It’s open,’ came a shout from inside.
Mouse was sitting at the table, his head bent over his accounts ledger.
‘Hello, Star,’ he said, giving me the first smile in days. ‘How are you?’
‘Good, thanks.’
‘As a matter of fact, so am I. I’ve had some news. I’ll put the kettle on.’ He stood up and filled an old iron kettle and put it on the range to boil. ‘Our London neighbours have upped the offer on the bookshop and want to proceed as soon as possible. There’s even a chance the money could be in the bank by Christmas.’
‘Oh.’
‘You don’t sound very pleased.’
‘I’m just thinking of Orlando, that’s all.’
‘Better this than both of us ending up homeless and penniless. And now there really will be enough for Orlando to lease a local bookshop, and even buy a small house of his own if that’s what he wants to do.’
‘I came here to ask you to join us tonight at High Weald. It’s Halloween and we’re all dressing up.’
‘Good idea,’ he said, surprising me with his positive response. ‘My God, Star, I’m so relieved. You have no idea just how bad things have been financially.’
‘Can I ask you not to mention it to Orlando this evening? I’d like Rory to have a nice time.’
‘Okay. How is he?’
‘He’s good.’
‘And you? You look well too. That sweater suits you. The colour matches your eyes. By the way, you haven’t come across those journals at High Weald yet, have you?’ he asked suddenly.
‘No, sorry,’ I said, only half lying. They had disappeared again, after all. And not from High Weald.
‘Well, who knows where they’ve gone? It’s just a shame that I can’t confirm what my father told me before he died. But maybe the past is best left in the past. Have you heard from Marguerite?’
‘She called last night, yes. She said the work was going well.’
‘And I’m sure it’s not just the lure of murals, money and wine straight from the cave that have sent her running back to France. My guess would be that she’s met someone.’
‘Really?’
‘I haven’t seen her so energised in years. It’s amazing what love can do, isn’t it? It lights you up from the inside.’ He gave a small, sad smile. ‘Have you ever been in love, Star?’
‘No,’ I replied honestly.
‘That’s a shame.’
‘Right.’ I stood up abruptly. The intimate turn this conversation was taking was making me uncomfortable. ‘I’ll see you tonight for supper at seven o’clock prompt. By the way,’ I said as I walked towards the back door, ‘we have a costume for you too.’
Once Rory was home from school, we lit the pumpkin and placed it by the front door. Then we both put on our costumes.
‘I’ve never played “Halloween” before,’ Rory announced excitedly. ‘Marguerite said it was an American idea and we shouldn’t celebrate it.’
‘I don’t think it matters where the idea has come from, as long as it’s a good one. And it’s always fun to dress up.’
We made our way down the stairs to show off Rory’s Harry Potter costume to Orlando, who was already in the kitchen, replete with cloak, hat and long white beard. I decided he could have a second career as a double for Dumbledore.
‘You look positively malevolent,’ commented Orlando as he took in my witch’s costume.
‘Star is a white witch, so she’s good.’ Rory hugged me.
Just as he said that, Mouse arrived through the door and Orlando frowned at me in disapproval.
‘You didn’t tell me he was joining us,’ he said in a stage whisper that could plainly be heard by his brother.
‘Does Mouse have a costume?’ Rory asked.
‘Of course. Here.’ I produced the bag from a cupboard and handed it to him. He looked inside it and frowned.
‘Really, Star, this isn’t my thing.’
‘For Rory?’ I whispered to him. ‘Maybe just the ears.’ I took them out of the bag and proffered them to him.
‘You can be a real mouse now!’ Rory shouted, delighted at the idea. ‘I’ll help you.’