They disappeared outside the door, letting in a waft of wet night air.
Joss glanced at Lyn. ‘Have we got enough to offer her supper? Roy is still away at some conference or other so she’s on her own.’
‘Of course we have.’ Lyn nodded vehemently. ‘You know I always make enough for two or three meals.’
‘Great,’ Joss nodded. ‘Lyn – I’m sorry I’ve been a bit of a bear.’
Lyn turned to the stove so that Joss couldn’t see her face. ‘That’s OK.’ She was going to add something else when the door reopened and Luke staggered in carrying a wooden rocking horse.
‘Janet!’ Joss’s squeal was one of genuine pleasure. ‘It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen!’
Hand carved in painted dapple grey, the horse had a rippling black mane and tail and a red leather bridle and saddle, studded with brass headed nails.
‘Tom is going to adore it.’ She stroked the shining mane as Luke set it down on the floor by the dresser.
‘I always thought there should be a rocking horse at Belheddon.’ Janet picked up her mug and warmed her hands on it. ‘I was so sure there must be one hidden away somewhere that I sent your brother, Luke, on a secret mission to all the old attics and outbuildings when he was here for the christening.’
‘He never said.’ Joss stared at her, amused.
Janet shook her head. ‘No sign of a rocking horse, he said. It was originally going to be a christening present, but then I realised how long it was going to take to make. There’s a waiting list with this chap near Sudbury who makes them.’
She chuckled as Kit and Kat, climbing languidly from their basket by the stove crept up to the horse and feigning indifference inspected it from a safe distance before pouncing at the long tail.
‘Another of your wonderful craftsmen.’ Luke put his arm around Janet’s shoulders and gave her a hug. ‘Clever girl. I had no idea old Mat was poking round in the attics. He did that very discreetly.’ He glanced at Joss, but her attention appeared to be fully on the horse. ‘Shall we see if Tom is still awake? If he is he can come down to see it while Janet’s here? As it’s a very special occasion.’
Janet nodded. ‘Oh please. Would you? Just this once? I know it was a silly time to bring it, but I only collected it this afternoon, and I couldn’t wait.’
‘I’ll get him.’ Luke strode towards the door. ‘It’s the sort of surprise he’ll probably remember all his life.’
The kitchen was warm, full of succulent smells from the cooker. Kit and Kat, having examined the new acquisition in great detail were curled up once more, safe in their basket, when there was a click and then a crackle from the baby alarm standing on the dresser. ‘Joss!’ Luke’s voice was tinny, distant, but sharp with anxiety. ‘Where is he, Joss?’
Joss stared at the dresser. ‘What do you mean, where is he?’ But he couldn’t hear her. Her frantic question shouted into the speaker of a one-way system was lost in the silence of the kitchen.
‘Christ!’ Lyn pushed away the bottle she was opening so violently it fell over and rolled to the edge of the table, splashing wine onto the flags. ‘What’s happened now?’ She looked at Joss for a fraction of a second before she made for the door.
The three women ran for the staircase and found Luke standing in Tom’s bedroom. The bed was neat and appeared unslept in. ‘The baby alarm was switched off. Where is he, Joss? Where did you put Tom?’ His voice was shaking as he caught her arm.
‘What do you mean where did I put him?’ Joss stared down at the little bed in disbelief. ‘He was here. I tucked him in, he had his teddy.’ A cold lump of something like stone seemed to have settled in her stomach as she stared round wildly. ‘He was here. He was fine. I read him a chapter of Dr Seuss – look, here’s the book.’ It was lying face down on his chest of drawers near the night light. She stared down at the new candle in the holder. ‘I lit it. I remember lighting it …’ The electric lamp had been too bright.
‘Where is he, Joss?’ Luke’s grip tightened on her arm.
She shook her head. ‘He was here.’
‘For God’s sake, she’s obviously not going to tell us. We’ve got to look.’ Lyn’s voice was shaking. She turned back out of the room and crossed the narrow corridor into Ned’s. The baby was fast asleep. There was no sign of Tom in there.
‘He’s in the attic,’ Joss whispered suddenly. ‘I think he’s in the attic with the boys.’ She didn’t know how she knew.
The others stared at her for a moment and she was the one to run first towards the attic stairs. ‘Tom –’ her scream echoed round the house. ‘Tom, where are you?’
He was sitting contentedly in the middle of the double bed in the attic room which had been occupied by Elizabeth and Geoffrey Grant. Before him, on the middle of the eiderdown was a box of wooden animals. At the sight of the faces in the doorway he beamed at them contentedly.
‘Georgie’s toys,’ he said happily. ‘Tom play with Georgie’s toys.’
*
‘How many times do I have to tell you, I put him to bed.’ Joss sat down at the table and put her head in her hands. ‘He was all right. I read him a story. I tucked him in. I put the side of the cot up and checked it. I lit the night light and I turned on the baby alarm.’
Tom had gone back to his bed with only a token protest, after twenty minutes ecstatic rocking on the horse, asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow. Making sure the alarm was on this time, they left him and came back down to the kitchen.
Luke was watching her soberly. ‘Perhaps you ought to see Simon, Joss,’ he said tentatively. ‘Honestly, it might be the best. I’m sure it’s no more than a lapse of concentration or something because of your tiredness.’