except that I seem to have lost the power to do anything while he looks at me with those soft hazel eyes.
‘I think you’re nice. And very pretty,’ he says at last. ‘Especially your hair. You have really pretty hair.’
‘Oh.’ I can feel my face burning. What do I say to that? ‘Er, Pepper says it needs a style. My hair.’
‘Oh.’ Kit’s cheeks turn a deeper shade of red. I watch helplessly. I’ve obviously said completely the wrong thing.
‘Right, finish up now, please,’ Mr Bradley calls from the door.
I jump. Kit turns away and busies himself with his brush.
A few minutes later, we meet up with the others. Josh and Samuel have collected a sizeable pile of wood. Mr Bradley shows us how to bind it into five easy-to-carry bundles, then orders us to jog
back to the house, each with a stack under our arm.
Kit picks up his wood straightaway, but the rest of us stare at Mr Bradley in horror.
‘What did your last slave die of?’ Josh asks, eyebrows raised.
‘Quiet,’ Mr Bradley snaps.
‘I can’t carry a whole pile, sir,’ Samuel says matter-of-factly.
Mr Bradley glares at him impatiently. But, before he can speak, Kit snatches up Samuel’s bundle.
‘Don’t worry, I’ll take yours.’ He sets off before anyone can stop him.
Mr Bradley rolls his eyes. ‘Well, come on the rest of you.’
Josh catches my eye. It’s obvious that if he thinks I’m prepared to back his stand against carrying the wood then he’ll keep on refusing. I shake my head. What’s the
point? I’ve got much bigger things to worry about than hauling a few sticks across a field. With a shrug, I pick up my bundle. Josh hesitates for a second, then does the same.
We set off together, leaving Mr Bradley and Samuel jogging after us. Josh runs fairly fast, though not as fast as Kit, who is now well ahead. I concentrate on keeping pace with him. It
isn’t easy, especially with the bundle of sticks under my arm, but in spite of this – and my anxieties about both Kit and the mystery surrounding Irina’s death – I enjoy the
sense of power in my muscles as well as the feel of the salty wind on my face. Josh talks as we jog, making me laugh with tales of how Samuel came out with a load of bizarre tree facts while they
were gathering wood.
‘Did you know that the biggest tree in the world is more than one hundred feet around?’ Josh asks. ‘Or that the manchineel tree causes burns and blisters?’
‘No,’ I chuckle. ‘Did you know that some kitten once died inside a sausage?’
‘
What?
’
By the time I’ve explained, we’re back at Lightsea House. Mr Bradley directs us to deposit our wood under the porch, then hurry into the kitchen. Mrs Moncrieff, Pepper and Anna are
ladling out steaming bowls of fresh chicken soup. I’m starving and gulp down two full bowls along with three of the crusty rolls from the basket on the table. My head is spinning with
everything that happened earlier, from my suspicions about Mr Lomax to my confusion over Kit. Luckily, I don’t have to say much. Pepper is doing most of the talking, complaining how she
thinks it is sexist that she and Anna were made to stay indoors earlier ‘doing girly stuff’.
‘Well, Evie was outside this morning,’ Kit reasons. ‘And I’m sure you and Anna will have a turn tomorrow or the next day. It’ll all even out.’
Pepper rolls her eyes. ‘Jeez, you sound just like Loonymax, Kit,’ she drawls.
Kit scowls. He hasn’t looked at me since we left the boathouse. I want to tell him that I think he’s right about the chores evening out, but when I try to catch his eye he avoids me,
sitting down at the opposite end of the table next to Samuel and immediately getting involved in what looks like an intense conversation about the distance of Lightsea Island from the Scottish
mainland.
After lunch, Mr Lomax makes us sit in a group and tries to encourage everyone in turn to open up about their situation at home. Pepper does most of the
‘I think you’re nice. And very pretty,’ he says at last. ‘Especially your hair. You have really pretty hair.’
‘Oh.’ I can feel my face burning. What do I say to that? ‘Er, Pepper says it needs a style. My hair.’
‘Oh.’ Kit’s cheeks turn a deeper shade of red. I watch helplessly. I’ve obviously said completely the wrong thing.
‘Right, finish up now, please,’ Mr Bradley calls from the door.
I jump. Kit turns away and busies himself with his brush.
A few minutes later, we meet up with the others. Josh and Samuel have collected a sizeable pile of wood. Mr Bradley shows us how to bind it into five easy-to-carry bundles, then orders us to jog
back to the house, each with a stack under our arm.
Kit picks up his wood straightaway, but the rest of us stare at Mr Bradley in horror.
‘What did your last slave die of?’ Josh asks, eyebrows raised.
‘Quiet,’ Mr Bradley snaps.
‘I can’t carry a whole pile, sir,’ Samuel says matter-of-factly.
Mr Bradley glares at him impatiently. But, before he can speak, Kit snatches up Samuel’s bundle.
‘Don’t worry, I’ll take yours.’ He sets off before anyone can stop him.
Mr Bradley rolls his eyes. ‘Well, come on the rest of you.’
Josh catches my eye. It’s obvious that if he thinks I’m prepared to back his stand against carrying the wood then he’ll keep on refusing. I shake my head. What’s the
point? I’ve got much bigger things to worry about than hauling a few sticks across a field. With a shrug, I pick up my bundle. Josh hesitates for a second, then does the same.
We set off together, leaving Mr Bradley and Samuel jogging after us. Josh runs fairly fast, though not as fast as Kit, who is now well ahead. I concentrate on keeping pace with him. It
isn’t easy, especially with the bundle of sticks under my arm, but in spite of this – and my anxieties about both Kit and the mystery surrounding Irina’s death – I enjoy the
sense of power in my muscles as well as the feel of the salty wind on my face. Josh talks as we jog, making me laugh with tales of how Samuel came out with a load of bizarre tree facts while they
were gathering wood.
‘Did you know that the biggest tree in the world is more than one hundred feet around?’ Josh asks. ‘Or that the manchineel tree causes burns and blisters?’
‘No,’ I chuckle. ‘Did you know that some kitten once died inside a sausage?’
‘
What?
’
By the time I’ve explained, we’re back at Lightsea House. Mr Bradley directs us to deposit our wood under the porch, then hurry into the kitchen. Mrs Moncrieff, Pepper and Anna are
ladling out steaming bowls of fresh chicken soup. I’m starving and gulp down two full bowls along with three of the crusty rolls from the basket on the table. My head is spinning with
everything that happened earlier, from my suspicions about Mr Lomax to my confusion over Kit. Luckily, I don’t have to say much. Pepper is doing most of the talking, complaining how she
thinks it is sexist that she and Anna were made to stay indoors earlier ‘doing girly stuff’.
‘Well, Evie was outside this morning,’ Kit reasons. ‘And I’m sure you and Anna will have a turn tomorrow or the next day. It’ll all even out.’
Pepper rolls her eyes. ‘Jeez, you sound just like Loonymax, Kit,’ she drawls.
Kit scowls. He hasn’t looked at me since we left the boathouse. I want to tell him that I think he’s right about the chores evening out, but when I try to catch his eye he avoids me,
sitting down at the opposite end of the table next to Samuel and immediately getting involved in what looks like an intense conversation about the distance of Lightsea Island from the Scottish
mainland.
After lunch, Mr Lomax makes us sit in a group and tries to encourage everyone in turn to open up about their situation at home. Pepper does most of the
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