The Language Of Spells Part 11

Archie tried to press himself further back into the corner while simultaneously wag his tail. What a sweetheart.

Gwen felt her neck stiffen up and shifted so that she was lying down. Archie's eyes rolled white and his paws pedalled as he panicked.

'It's okay, baby, I'm not moving.' She stayed still until Archie calmed a little.

'You're going to have to come out of there sooner or later, you know. You must be thirsty and hungry and there's good stuff to eat downstairs. It's probably served on a flowery mat, but it'll still taste good.' Gwen kept up the flow of words, using a gentle sing-song tone while moving her body forwards a centimetre at a time. Archie was still quivering, but he wasn't trying to push himself through the wall, so that was progress.

'It's okay, baby, come on out.' Gwen was half under the bed now and she thought if she reached out, she could probably grab the dog. It would be better if he came to her, of course, but she wasn't sure how long that was going to take. She inched her hand forwards and then, in one quick movement, reached out and hooked her fingers under his collar. Archie lurched forwards and she got a better hold of his body and hauled him out.

Archie was shuddering, his tiny body convulsing in her arms, but he wasn't struggling to get down. Gwen held him firmly and stroked his back, keeping up a stream of soothing words. Slowly the shaking lessened and he licked her hand. She felt a warmth flowing through her and thought: maybe I'll keep him. What was wrong with her? She didn't need any more responsibilities. A cat and a house were bad enough. Shaking her head at her insanity, she walked carefully downstairs.

'Archie!' Helen leaped off the sofa and rushed to pet the little dog. 'Where was he?'

'Under the bed,' Gwen said. 'You might want to clean up under there.'

Helen's eyes were shining and she held her arms out. 'Poor Archie.'

Gwen stepped forward, loosening her hold experimentally. Archie gave her a final lick and lurched towards Helen, who caught him and buried her face in his fur. 'What a silly boy, Archie. What were you doing? Why didn't you bark?' She looked up. 'I don't understand. Why didn't he come out? I've been calling him all around the house.'

Gwen put her hand out to scratch behind Archie's ears. As soon as her fingers connected, an image flashed into her mind, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of terror. Navy trainers. She looked at Helen, startled, then checked her feet. Black ankle boots with a little heel.

'Who wears blue trainers?'

Helen frowned. 'Christopher. But he's not here right now-'

'He's the reason Archie was hiding.'

'That's impossible. He hasn't even been here for days. And he dotes on Archie.'

Gwen shrugged. 'I'm just telling you what I saw.'

Helen's face hardened. 'What are you accusing my son of?'

'I'm just telling you what frightened Archie. Christopher's shoes.'

'Get out of my house.'

'I'd like my payment, please,' Gwen said, feeling h.e.l.lish.

Helen thrust the notes at Gwen. 'Don't you dare repeat what you just said. Not to anyone.'

Cam put his hand on Gwen's arm. 'Come on.'

Back at the house, Cam stayed in the car while she walked up the path. That was what she got for using the Finding in front of him. Still, he waited until she had the door unlocked and was safely inside before driving away. Because he's a decent human being, not because he feels anything.

Chapter 7.

16th June Lily Thomas has moved into her father's old house around the corner. There is something very hungry about that girl. I was compelled to make her a gift of one of my nicer lavender bushes. I don't know why, but that's often the way.

At Lily's house, Gwen pushed the gate and walked through a preternaturally neat garden. A square of raked purple gravel gave way in places to allow subdued shrubs. A large terracotta pot by the front door held a neatly clipped topiary, the white care label still attached to a branch. Compared to the house on the other side a which sported a child's climbing frame on a scrubby patch of lawn and some broken toys a Lily's garden looked almost sterile.

Gwen pressed the doorbell and heard an ethereal chime faintly inside.

Lily opened the door, her face falling the moment she saw Gwen. The door began to close.

'I'm really sorry,' Gwen said quickly.

Lily was wearing a pale green silk blouse tucked into smart grey trousers. She folded her arms protectively across her chest and notched her frown up a gear.

'I should have told you straight away, and I don't know why I didn't.' Suddenly it became desperately important to Gwen to make things okay with her neighbour. Lily had been nothing but kind to her since she arrived back in Pendleford and, after her confrontation with Ruby, Gwen could see how valuable that was. Someone in this G.o.d-forsaken place who gave a d.a.m.n. She held up a carrier bag. 'I come bearing gifts.'

'You'd better come in.' Lily turned and walked down the short hallway.

Gwen followed, closing the door behind her. She pa.s.sed a gigantic painting of a white unicorn, its mane being brushed by a simpering blonde in a long white dress, inexplicably set against both a blazing orange sunset and a full rainbow. It should've prepared her for Lily's living room, but Gwen still nearly dropped her bag.

Shiny gold frames held more unicorn paintings, while every surface was covered in figurines. Winged unicorns, white unicorns, pink unicorns, unicorns with girls riding on their backs, china unicorns with real hair sprouting from their tails and heads and crystal unicorns that refracted the light. The etched-gla.s.s top of the coffee table was held proudly aloft by four carved wooden unicorns, their horns painted silver. Wherever Gwen looked, unfeasibly large unicorn eyes stared back.

Lily perched on the edge of an armchair. 'You may as well sit down.'

'Thanks.' There was a pale blue sofa that matched the chair, complete with three gold embroidered unicorn cushions. Gwen didn't think she'd be able to fit her backside onto the sofa without moving them, but wasn't sure if that const.i.tuted a social faux pas. She certainly didn't want Lily to interpret the action as a commentary on her decor. She chose one of the spindly metal dining chairs from around the gla.s.s-topped circular table in the dining nook and crossed her fingers that it was st.u.r.dier than it looked.

'What can I do for you?' Lily's excessively polite tone was more effective than a slap in the face. Gwen swallowed. 'I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I didn't mention that I'd lived here before because-'

'It's really none of my business,' Lily interrupted.

'I just wanted a fresh start. I know it sounds stupid. I didn't mean to embarra.s.s you.'

'You didn't,' Lily said tightly. 'What's in the bag?'

Before Gwen could explain that she hadn't found Iris's recipe book yet, but that she'd made Lily a cake, a man wearing a towel and nothing else appeared in the doorway. He was blond and good-looking in a calculated kind of way. 'Oh,' he said, 'I didn't know we had company.'

Gwen realised that she'd stood up. 'Sorry. I didn't ... I was just going.'

'Don't leave on my account.' The man lounged against the doorway and took a long, lazy look up and down Gwen's figure, as if she were the half-naked one.

'This is Ryan. He's a journalist, so watch anything you say,' Lily said.

'Hey,' Ryan said, mock-offended. 'You think I've got a Dictaphone hidden under here?' He gestured to his towel, grinning.

'Right. Well-'

'So, are you Lily's latest acolyte?'

'What?' Gwen wanted to leave. Lily was radiating hostility and Ryan was radiating pheromones. His pecs kept twitching as if he were unconsciously flexing them as he spoke to her.

'You've got the right look. Wild-haired. Nervous.' Ryan held up his hands as if he were a photographer framing a picture.

'This is Gwen Harper,' Lily said. 'She just moved into End House. Although she's not new to the town. Not that she wants anybody to know.'

Ryan dropped his hands. 'Oh.'

'I'm really sorry,' Gwen said again. She tried to look Lily in the eyes to convey her sincerity, but Lily stared resolutely past her shoulder.

'Perhaps she has a dark secret,' Lily said to Ryan, as if Gwen were not there. 'Perhaps you ought to investigate her. Get a scoop for the local rag.'

Ryan puffed up his chest. 'It's just a stepping stone, you know.'

'I'll let you get on,' Gwen said. She made to pa.s.s Ryan, but he didn't step back and she was forced to squeeze past him. Up close, he was older than he first appeared; his eyes were bloodshot and there was something unpleasant lurking inside them. Something mean-spirited.

Lily didn't get up or say goodbye. The last image Gwen had in her mind was of Lily staring viciously at Ryan and him grinning back at her with a determined lack of concern.

Gwen moved the oil heater downstairs and had it running on the highest setting. It was still freezing, though, and she wasn't in the best mood even before Ruby arrived.

'Yes?' Gwen opened the front door and pointedly didn't step back to let Ruby inside.

'Can we talk?' Ruby looked as immaculate and in control as she always did. It was irritating.

'Are you sure that's wise?' Gwen said. She felt sick with the anger and guilt Ruby inspired, but she didn't have the energy to deal with it. Not on top of everything else.

'Please. Katie wants to see you.'

Her niece's name did it. Like a magic word, Gwen felt her anger drain away. She turned on her heel and marched into the house. 'Shut the door behind you.' Well, most of it.

Ruby stopped in the hall, looking awkward. She made no move to remove her coat, which was probably for the best. Gwen was surprised their breath wasn't fogging in the frigid air.

'So?' Gwen said.

Ruby swallowed. 'Katie has been asking about you. She doesn't understand why you haven't been round to visit.'

'I hope you've explained,' Gwen said.

Ruby folded her arms. 'Not exactly. I just said we'd had a bit of a fight.'

'Eighteen months, Ruby. Not a "bit of" anything.'

'I don't want to talk about it,' Ruby said. 'I didn't come here to argue with you. I just wanted to see if you'd let Katie visit. Today, actually.'

'With you?' Gwen thought for a moment that her niece might be sat out in Ruby's car, waiting for the two responsible adults in the scenario to stop bickering.

'No.' Ruby's voice dripped sarcasm. 'She's fourteen. She has to do everything herself. She'd get the number nineteen bus.'

'Okay,' Gwen said. 'She's very welcome.'

'Fine. If she isn't with you by eleven, call me.'

Ruby made to leave and Gwen was suddenly seized with uncertainty. It had been a while. 'Um. What am I supposed to do with her?'

'I have no idea. She's a mystery to me these days.' Ruby sounded properly upset and Gwen was surprised to find herself trying to rea.s.sure her. 'Hey,' she said, 'I'm sure it's not that bad.'

Ruby gave a short laugh. 'Have fun bonding and then tell me that.'

'Right. And-'

Ruby interrupted her, the words coming out in a rush. 'Don't talk about that stuff, okay?'

'What stuff?' Gwen said. 'The birds and the bees?'

'You know very well.' Ruby rubbed her gloved hands together. 'I don't want her exposed to all that-'

'I remember.' Gwen felt like crying. Why did Ruby always have to treat her like she was a loaded gun?

'Okay then. Thanks.' Ruby practically ran out of the house and down the path.

Gwen made herself a cup of tea to warm up and fed the cat. He stared at her with his strangely mismatched eyes. Gwen had a list of things to do that felt about a mile long. If she was going to live in this mausoleum of a house for six months, then she had a lot of cleaning to do. Not to mention sorting through Iris's junk, mending the ceiling in the dining room, and working out how to cope with the reappearance of Cameron Laing in her life. The cat looked pointedly from Gwen's face to the empty dish and back again. 'Yes, yes,' Gwen said. 'I know. I need to do something about you, too. Get in line.'

At ten to eleven, the doorbell rang. Gwen was dressed in cleaning clothes which weren't, she had to admit, very different to her normal clothes. Old jeans and a well-washed V-neck jumper that used to be navy. If the expression on her niece's face was anything to go by, she ought to add clothes shopping to her to-do list, too.

'h.e.l.lo, Katie. Long time, no see.'

Katie slouched in, avoiding eye contact and glaring at the floor as if it had personally offended her.

'Do you want something to drink? I've got orange or apple juice.'

'Coffee,' Katie said.

'Um. Are you allowed to drink coffee?'

Katie shot her such a look of disgust. 'I'm fourteen.'

'No problem,' Gwen said. 'I'll just call your mum to check.'

'Oh for G.o.d's sake,' Katie said, tossing her hair over her shoulder in a practised move. 'I don't want anything anyway.'

Well, that was a good start, Gwen congratulated herself as Katie stood hunched in her green parka and showed no signs of taking it off or coming any further into the house.

'I was going to clear the dining room today. It's a junk room at the moment. Loads of boxes and stuff.'

No response.

'Do you want to give me a hand?'