‘True. But I’m happy with the theory. No, whatever happened here, it is a mixture of things. Tragic accidents, like your brothers and your father – all things that could happen in any family, Joss, and probably have. In the past, maybe there was some other factor at work. Maybe the water was contaminated and the germs affected boys more than girls; maybe there was a sex-linked gene in the family which made the male children weaker – susceptible to something.’
‘A sex-linked gene making the male children more susceptible to falling into the pond?’ Joss forced a smile. ‘Not very convincing, David.’
‘No, but as likely as any other theory.’
Behind them the door opened, and Luke looked in. His eyes immediately went to the arm of the chair where David’s hand rested on Joss’s. ‘I see I’m interrupting.’ His voice was cold.
‘No, Luke. No.’ Joss levered herself from the chair as David moved away. ‘Listen. There is something I must tell you. Please – listen.’
Coming in, he closed the door behind him. His face was white. ‘I’m not sure I want to hear this.’
‘Well, I want you to listen. There is something you must know. I’ve tried to tell you, but –’ she shook her head and looked helplessly at David. ‘It’s to do with the house. We – I – think there is a curse on it.’
‘Oh please.’ Luke pushed her away. ‘Not that again. I have never heard such crap. A curse! That’s all we need. In case you’ve forgotten, we have to live here. You can’t sell. That was a condition of your mother’s will. If you want to leave, we lose the house. We have no money, no job. Here I can work. You can write your stories. Lyn and your parents can come if they want. There is room even for your friends.’ He glared at David. ‘I must say, David, I’m surprised you’ve been encouraging her in all this. I thought you had more sense.’
‘I do think there is something in what she says, Luke, old boy.’ David looked distinctly uncomfortable. ‘You should listen to her. I don’t think the house is cursed. Maybe it is just an accumulation of old stories and circumstances, I agree, but it does seem strange – too strange to be entirely coincidence – that so many things have happened here over the centuries.’
‘And you think the devil lives here? Satan himself, complete with pitch fork and furnace in the cellar?’
‘No. Not that. Of course, not that.’
‘I should bloody well think not. Have more sense, David. Joss is pregnant. The last thing she needs is someone winding her up and encouraging her in all this stupidity. Simon Fraser had a word with me. He says she’s got herself in a state. She’s supposed to keep calm. And I find you holding her hand, discussing with her the possibility that our son will die.’
There was a sudden total silence. Joss went white. ‘I never said that,’ she whispered. ‘I never mentioned Tom.’
‘Well, that’s what this is all about isn’t it? The sons of the house dying. The voices in the dark. Little boys in the cellar.’ Luke rammed his hands deep into the pockets of his old cords. ‘I’m sorry, Joss. I just want you to realise how preposterous this sounds. Your family are dead. They are all dead. Like all families some of them died young and some in old age. Obviously the further back you go the more likely they are to have died unexplained and unsatisfactory deaths – that is the nature of those days. They had no medicine, no surgery. Children died all the time, that is why Victorians had so many children – to try and up the ante a bit. Luckily we are living in a more enlightened and scientific age. End of problem. Now, if you will excuse me, I’ll go and finish up in the coach house. Then I suggest we all have supper and forget this whole sorry rigmarole.’
The door shook as he closed it. Joss and David looked at one another. ‘Not an easy man to convince,’ David said quietly, after a minute. ‘Besides, Joss, I do think that he is in many ways right. Relax. Try and put it all out of your mind, but maybe be a little on your guard as well.’
‘On my guard against what?’ With a shiver she stood closer to the fire. ‘In the diaries he is described as he or it. Something or someone who terrified sane, rational, educated women.’
And killed little boys. She did not speak the words out loud.
‘And you, who are also sane, rational and educated, have seen nothing. And you have heard nothing – nothing but some voices, trapped like echoes within the fabric of the house.’ He smiled. ‘Come on, Joss. You know the sign against the evil eye, don’t you.’ He raised his two forefingers and crossed them in front of her face. ‘Be ready if he or it ever manifests. Otherwise forget it. Tom loves it here. It’s a great place. All houses have dangers. Cellar stairs and ponds are obvious dangers and an unsupervised youngster could fall foul of them any time in history or today. You take precautions, you watch him, Lyn clucks round him like a mother hen. No one could do more.’
‘I suppose not.’
So, he claims yet another victim. The boy is dead. Next it will be me. Why can’t she see what is happening …
Could so many people have imagined the same thing? Had they all read each other’s diaries, perhaps sitting in this very room, taking comfort from the fire as their hair stood on end and their toes curled with terror in the darkness of long gone winter nights? Somehow that didn’t seem likely.
The kitchen was deliciously warm and bright and sane. Lyn glanced at them as they walked in. She had just put a cake in the oven and her face was shiny with the heat of the stove. On the floor in the corner, Tom was playing with his Duplo, building a castle with some very questionable symmetry. Self consciously she rubbed her face on her sleeve. ‘Luke just went out muttering,’ she said. ‘I gather he thinks you two are round the bend.’
‘Something like that.’ Joss forced a smile. ‘Anyway we have been well and truly reprimanded, and full of repentance we are going to help you set the tea things.’ She was gazing at Tom, needing suddenly to hold him in her arms.
‘Great.’ Lyn did not seem that enthusiastic. ‘He says you think the house is cursed.’ She frowned. ‘You don’t really think that, do you, Joss?’