You know it isn’t. We need to find out more about the tunnels. What happened in there? You said there was a battle – maybe it’s something to do with that. What have we brought out? What was that thing I saw? Look, it’s time we told Rose everything. She’ll know what to do, won’t she?”
“I hope so.”
They got up, walked through The Smithy garden and pushed the front door open.
“Rose?” called Callie.
An indistinct reply came from upstairs, then, “Just coming.”
Through the window, they could see George with his back to them, busy in the greenhouse.
“Callie, Josh, hello,” said Rose, coming down the stairs, and then, as she saw their faces, “What’s happened? What’s wrong?”
10. TRACES
Rose listened without interrupting to their hesitant, sometimes incoherent account of what had happened over the last few days, her lips compressed in a tight line.
Finally, Callie said, “I thought I could deal with this myself, but I was wrong. I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner.”
Rose gathered her thoughts.
“First things first: no one was hurt when the chimney came down?”
“No.”
“And what state is the house in now?”
“Mum and Dad are there with a builder and a roofer and the insurance people. There’s a big hole in the roof where the chimney fell through. Hasn’t Mum called you?”
Rose shook her head. “We’re not really talking at the moment.”
Callie looked stricken, but said nothing. Rose returned to the more immediate problem.
“I think Josh may be right about what’s at the root of all this. It’s certainly nothing that’s coming directly from you. If it was, it would have happened before you started to learn to control your power. I don’t thinkanyone should be staying in that house overnight just now. Callie, you’ll come here, won’t you?”
Callie nodded.
“And you’re all right at the cottage, Josh, aren’t you?”
“Fine.”
“I’ll phone Julia and suggest she and David come here until the roof is fixed. Maybe if David answers the phone he’ll accept my offer before Julia has a chance to refuse.” She got to her feet. “Make us all some coffee while I do that, Callie.”
The kettle had just boiled when Rose returned from phoning.
“Well?” Callie asked.
“I spoke to your father. He’ll talk to your mother and call back.” She made a face. “Oh well, I’ve done what I can for now.” She sat down to drink her coffee. “The three of us need to go to the castle.”
“You don’t want me to go down there again, do you?” said Callie, alarmed.
“No, dear, don’t worry.” She glanced over at the washing-up bowl sitting expectantly beside the sink. “We need to talk to Bessie. I’ll treat us all to lunch.”
***
“Well, Rose, this
is
nice,” said Bessie, settling herself in her seat and making sure she had a good view of the other diners just in case any of them did something interesting.
Josh stared, mesmerised, at her hat. It seemed to be knitted out of crimson string, and was decoratedwith three rather threadbare pheasant feathers. “It’s my Thinking Cap,” she said to Josh when she noticed him gawping at it. “A bit like Sherlock Holmes and his deerstalker. It compensates for electrical fluctuations in the brain.”
Josh nodded, speechless, as Rose shook her head and muttered something none of them could quite hear.
“Callie, dear,” Bessie went on, “you look a bit peaky. I hope you’re not coming down with something?”
“I’m fine, Bessie. I just haven’t been sleeping very well,” Callie replied with stupendous understatement.
“That’s why we wanted to talk to you, Bessie,” Rose added.
“Well, I would usually recommend a wee nip of whisky, but you’re a bit young for that.”
Rose raised her eyes to heaven. “That’s not going to solve this problem. Let’s order, then we’ll explain.”
***
It took all the pasta and half the ice cream to explain the situation to Bessie.
“So now
“I hope so.”
They got up, walked through The Smithy garden and pushed the front door open.
“Rose?” called Callie.
An indistinct reply came from upstairs, then, “Just coming.”
Through the window, they could see George with his back to them, busy in the greenhouse.
“Callie, Josh, hello,” said Rose, coming down the stairs, and then, as she saw their faces, “What’s happened? What’s wrong?”
10. TRACES
Rose listened without interrupting to their hesitant, sometimes incoherent account of what had happened over the last few days, her lips compressed in a tight line.
Finally, Callie said, “I thought I could deal with this myself, but I was wrong. I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner.”
Rose gathered her thoughts.
“First things first: no one was hurt when the chimney came down?”
“No.”
“And what state is the house in now?”
“Mum and Dad are there with a builder and a roofer and the insurance people. There’s a big hole in the roof where the chimney fell through. Hasn’t Mum called you?”
Rose shook her head. “We’re not really talking at the moment.”
Callie looked stricken, but said nothing. Rose returned to the more immediate problem.
“I think Josh may be right about what’s at the root of all this. It’s certainly nothing that’s coming directly from you. If it was, it would have happened before you started to learn to control your power. I don’t thinkanyone should be staying in that house overnight just now. Callie, you’ll come here, won’t you?”
Callie nodded.
“And you’re all right at the cottage, Josh, aren’t you?”
“Fine.”
“I’ll phone Julia and suggest she and David come here until the roof is fixed. Maybe if David answers the phone he’ll accept my offer before Julia has a chance to refuse.” She got to her feet. “Make us all some coffee while I do that, Callie.”
The kettle had just boiled when Rose returned from phoning.
“Well?” Callie asked.
“I spoke to your father. He’ll talk to your mother and call back.” She made a face. “Oh well, I’ve done what I can for now.” She sat down to drink her coffee. “The three of us need to go to the castle.”
“You don’t want me to go down there again, do you?” said Callie, alarmed.
“No, dear, don’t worry.” She glanced over at the washing-up bowl sitting expectantly beside the sink. “We need to talk to Bessie. I’ll treat us all to lunch.”
***
“Well, Rose, this
is
nice,” said Bessie, settling herself in her seat and making sure she had a good view of the other diners just in case any of them did something interesting.
Josh stared, mesmerised, at her hat. It seemed to be knitted out of crimson string, and was decoratedwith three rather threadbare pheasant feathers. “It’s my Thinking Cap,” she said to Josh when she noticed him gawping at it. “A bit like Sherlock Holmes and his deerstalker. It compensates for electrical fluctuations in the brain.”
Josh nodded, speechless, as Rose shook her head and muttered something none of them could quite hear.
“Callie, dear,” Bessie went on, “you look a bit peaky. I hope you’re not coming down with something?”
“I’m fine, Bessie. I just haven’t been sleeping very well,” Callie replied with stupendous understatement.
“That’s why we wanted to talk to you, Bessie,” Rose added.
“Well, I would usually recommend a wee nip of whisky, but you’re a bit young for that.”
Rose raised her eyes to heaven. “That’s not going to solve this problem. Let’s order, then we’ll explain.”
***
It took all the pasta and half the ice cream to explain the situation to Bessie.
“So now
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