Tom nodded. ‘Flowers. Prickly flowers. Tom pricked myself.’
‘Joss, what is it?’ Pushing the tin of biscuits into Tom’s arms, Janet climbed to her feet and went to Joss who had sat down abruptly at the kitchen table and put her head into her arms.
‘Roses. White roses.’
‘Right.’ Janet was suddenly brisk. ‘I don’t believe what you’re telling me, but whatever it is, I don’t like it one bit. You are not going back to that house. I want you to stay here. All of you. There’s loads of room. We’ll go and collect some stuff when you’ve got this cup of tea inside you, and then we’re all coming back here. Understand?’
Joss nodded weakly.
‘Would you like that, Tom?’ Janet gave him a hug. ‘Come and stay with Sim?’
Tom nodded. He glanced at Joss. ‘Tom have Sim’s puppy?’ he said hopefully.
Janet laughed. ‘Not a chance, old son. Poor old Sim is not the puppy-bearing type.’ She glanced back at Joss. ‘Drink.’
28
There was no sign of Luke as the two women entered the kitchen at Belheddon. In the courtyard, where they had left Janet’s Audi, the coach house was locked and in darkness.
Joss frowned. Normally by now Lyn would be cooking supper, but there was no sign of any preparation. ‘I’ll go and see where they are.’ She pushed Ned into Janet’s arms. ‘Tom, you stay here. Show Aunty Janet how well you can ride your horse.’
The great hall was in darkness.
‘Luke? Lyn?’ Joss’s call seemed indecently loud to her own ears. ‘Where are you?’
The house felt empty. One of the bulbs in the wall light by the door had gone out and the other one gave a weak light which scarcely reached the far wall as she switched it on. The wind was moaning gently in the chimney as she reached the bottom of the stairs and peered up into the darkness.
‘Katherine!’ He drew her towards him gently. ‘My little love. Come, I won’t hurt you.’ He cupped his hands around her breasts and kissed the nape of her neck, then expertly he began to undo the lacings of her gown.
Naked she turned to him, her body young and firm, her skin as white as milk. She did not shrink as he pulled her nakedness against him; her eyes were strangely blank.
As he kissed and groaned and sweated she gazed slit-eyed into the distance.
She was listening to the echoes.
Joss could feel the small hairs on her forearms pricking. ‘Lyn? Are you up there?’
Her voice sharpened. ‘Lyn?’ She groped for the light switch and turned it on.
He was there. She could feel him, and this time he was not alone.
Immobile, with one hand on the banister, she waited a few more seconds, trying to force herself to put her foot on the bottom step – then she turned and ran.
In the courtyard she stood taking deep breaths of the frosty air, trying to steady the panic churning inside her.
‘Joss?’ Janet’s voice from the doorway was sharp with alarm. ‘Joss, what is it?’
She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak, hearing Janet run towards her, feeling Janet’s arms round her shoulders, shivering so much she could not think as she turned and buried her face in Janet’s coat.
The headlights of Lyn’s car cut a swathe across the darkness before it turned through the archway and came to rest, focused full on them.
‘Joss, where the hell have you been?’ Lyn threw herself out of the car. ‘Luke and I have been frantic. Where are the boys?’
Joss stood transfixed by the beam of the headlight unable for a moment to speak and it was Janet who answered. ‘The boys are here. They’re fine.’ The calmness of her voice cut through the icy wind. ‘Nothing is wrong. We wondered where you were.’
‘I told you I was taking them for a walk, Lyn.’ Joss moved at last, stepping out of the lights. From the darkness she stared round, no longer blinded. ‘Where’s Luke?’
‘He went across the fields after you.’
‘But why? You knew where I was going.’
‘I knew you were going for a walk. Hours ago. In broad daylight. Joss, for God’s sake, you had two tiny children with you!’
‘I told you I was going to Janet’s,’ Joss interrupted firmly.
‘No. No, Joss, you didn’t. You said you were going for a walk along the cliff. A walk in the sun. Couldn’t you have rung from Janet’s when you found yourself there? It was too much trouble, wasn’t it! And now I see Janet had to bring you home.’ Leaning into the Mini to turn off the engine and the lights she could see for the first time Janet’s car parked in the darkness.
There was an awkward silence. Janet frowned uncomfortably then she cleared her throat. ‘I offered to bring them back if Joss stayed to have a cup of tea with me, Lyn. If you want to blame anyone, then blame me. Where is Luke now, by the way?’ Behind her Tom appeared in the doorway. He stood for a moment on the step and then jumped off it, running to Janet and sliding his hand into hers.
‘He went after her.’ Lyn slammed the car door.
‘When?’ Joss swung round, and stared out through the courtyard arch into the dark gardens.
‘Hours ago.’
‘So, where is he now?’
‘I don’t know.’ Lyn shook her head wearily. ‘He never came back. Why do you think I got in the car and started driving round? I’ve been up the cliff lane and down to the village. There’s no sign of him.’
‘Was it daylight when he left?’ Joss grabbed her sister by the shoulders. ‘It’s dark now, Lyn. I went over to Janet’s hours ago. So where is he now?’ She could feel a sour churning in her stomach.
The only light now came from the lamp in the back hall, spilling out in a pale wedge into the thick darkness. Silhouetted in the light were Janet and Tom, hand in hand, their shadows, one small, one tall, stretching over the cobbles almost to Joss’s feet.