Julie up the stairs, she found herself wondering in a kind of anguish what had made her stepsister run away barefoot through a storm, and felt her hands curl into claws as she thought of the Hammonds.
She was thankful that Chas was away. His room was nearer to theirs and he might well have been disturbed by the noise, because Julie was crying openly now, a low monotonous sobbing.
Lisa hustled her into her own room and got her out of her wet clothes and into a dressing gown, while she ran a hot tub in the adjoining bathroom. She filled a hot water bottle while she was about it and took it into Julie's room, recoiling with a little cry when she saw the motionless shape in the bed.
Julie said from the doorway, 'I used some of the spare pillows from the linen cupboard. I knew you used to look in each night, and that you'd come looking for me if you knew the bed was empty.'
Lisa pulled back the covers and tossed the pillows on to the floor. 'Clever,' she commented shortly. 'How many times have you played this little trick?'
'This was the first.' Julie's face crumpled a little. 'I know you won't believe me, but…'
'Why should I believe you? You gave me your word, and you broke it.' Lisa put the bottle in the bed and tucked the covers around it.
'I didn't mean to.' Julie shrugged wearily. 'I was just so— bored. And when Mrs Arkwright came up and knocked on the door and called out that Laurie had been phoning you, I just decided I'd go over there.' She shivered. 'But I never will again. It was horrible! They had a lot of people there I'd never met before—not the usual crowd, older people. I didn't like them. They said we were going to play games, and I asked what sort of games because they seemed—well, too old really, and they laughed and said party games, and that I'd enjoy them.' She put her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes. 'It was a kind of Forfeits,' she said in a muffled voice. 'And when I realised what they were going to do—what they wanted me to do, I got scared and I ran away, and Laurie came after me. He'd been drinking, and he said horrible things to me—about me being a gatecrasher and a silly little prude, and that I'd have to pay the first forfeit because I hadn't been invited.' She stopped and looked at Lisa, her eyes very wide. 'I ran,' she said.
Lisa felt nauseated, but she smiled gaily and encouragingly.
'Of course you did, love.' Her voice was soothing. 'And now it's all over and you'll never have to see any of them again.'
She got Julie into the warm water and made her relax and later helped her get dry as if she had been a small child again, and into her pyjamas. Julie looked very small against her pillows, and very flushed, her eyes filling with that hysterical brightness, Lisa noted with a sinking heart.
She said, 'Try to get some rest, darling. It's nearly dawn, you know. I'll leave my door open and you can call me if you want anything.'
'I do want something.' Julie's hand clutched at hers feverishly. 'I want my shoes, Lisa. Please—you must go and get my shoes!'
'Of course I will. I'll get them tomorrow.'
'No, now. Please go now.' Julie's head began to thresh around on the pillow. 'If you leave them until tomorrow someone else might find them. Someone might bring them here and Dane would find out and he'd tell Daddy. Please, Lisa, please get them for me!'
Lisa detached herself gently. She was frowning a little. The storm had passed over, and the rain seemed to have stopped, but the prospect of going out into the wet darkness to search for a pair of dropped shoes was not one that had the slightest appeal. Julie was being thoroughly unreasonable, but then when she worked herself up into one of her hysterical states, there was no reasoning with her, as Lisa knew only too well.
She said reluctantly, 'All right, love, I'll go now.'
She went back to her own room and put on the dress she had been wearing earlier and a pair of thonged sandals on her bare feet. She found a torch and
She was thankful that Chas was away. His room was nearer to theirs and he might well have been disturbed by the noise, because Julie was crying openly now, a low monotonous sobbing.
Lisa hustled her into her own room and got her out of her wet clothes and into a dressing gown, while she ran a hot tub in the adjoining bathroom. She filled a hot water bottle while she was about it and took it into Julie's room, recoiling with a little cry when she saw the motionless shape in the bed.
Julie said from the doorway, 'I used some of the spare pillows from the linen cupboard. I knew you used to look in each night, and that you'd come looking for me if you knew the bed was empty.'
Lisa pulled back the covers and tossed the pillows on to the floor. 'Clever,' she commented shortly. 'How many times have you played this little trick?'
'This was the first.' Julie's face crumpled a little. 'I know you won't believe me, but…'
'Why should I believe you? You gave me your word, and you broke it.' Lisa put the bottle in the bed and tucked the covers around it.
'I didn't mean to.' Julie shrugged wearily. 'I was just so— bored. And when Mrs Arkwright came up and knocked on the door and called out that Laurie had been phoning you, I just decided I'd go over there.' She shivered. 'But I never will again. It was horrible! They had a lot of people there I'd never met before—not the usual crowd, older people. I didn't like them. They said we were going to play games, and I asked what sort of games because they seemed—well, too old really, and they laughed and said party games, and that I'd enjoy them.' She put her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes. 'It was a kind of Forfeits,' she said in a muffled voice. 'And when I realised what they were going to do—what they wanted me to do, I got scared and I ran away, and Laurie came after me. He'd been drinking, and he said horrible things to me—about me being a gatecrasher and a silly little prude, and that I'd have to pay the first forfeit because I hadn't been invited.' She stopped and looked at Lisa, her eyes very wide. 'I ran,' she said.
Lisa felt nauseated, but she smiled gaily and encouragingly.
'Of course you did, love.' Her voice was soothing. 'And now it's all over and you'll never have to see any of them again.'
She got Julie into the warm water and made her relax and later helped her get dry as if she had been a small child again, and into her pyjamas. Julie looked very small against her pillows, and very flushed, her eyes filling with that hysterical brightness, Lisa noted with a sinking heart.
She said, 'Try to get some rest, darling. It's nearly dawn, you know. I'll leave my door open and you can call me if you want anything.'
'I do want something.' Julie's hand clutched at hers feverishly. 'I want my shoes, Lisa. Please—you must go and get my shoes!'
'Of course I will. I'll get them tomorrow.'
'No, now. Please go now.' Julie's head began to thresh around on the pillow. 'If you leave them until tomorrow someone else might find them. Someone might bring them here and Dane would find out and he'd tell Daddy. Please, Lisa, please get them for me!'
Lisa detached herself gently. She was frowning a little. The storm had passed over, and the rain seemed to have stopped, but the prospect of going out into the wet darkness to search for a pair of dropped shoes was not one that had the slightest appeal. Julie was being thoroughly unreasonable, but then when she worked herself up into one of her hysterical states, there was no reasoning with her, as Lisa knew only too well.
She said reluctantly, 'All right, love, I'll go now.'
She went back to her own room and put on the dress she had been wearing earlier and a pair of thonged sandals on her bare feet. She found a torch and
Similar Books
