never get over it.
All the same, Charlie didn't want to drag her out of
bed at this hour, if Fraser could take her. He was being
loud and unfunny, but she didn't think he'd drunk
too much. She looked across at Lisa, who was sitting in
a very drawable, languid pose, sprawled on the sofa
with one leg curled underneath her and an arm
draped over the cushioned back. Charlie thought of
the drawing she could do if only she had a sketchbook
and pencil; thought of showing it to Oliver Locke
tomorrow.
She'd had enough of sitting about. She went to find
Rowan, and found her coming downstairs trailing
Russell by the hand.
'Where've you been? I want to go home,' Charlie
said.
'We were just coming to look for you.' Rowan
giggled. 'We fell asleep.'
'Oh, is that what you've been doing?' Charlie asked,
sceptically. 'Let's collect Fraser, then, and go. If we can
prise him away from Dawn.'
Dawn, hearing about the arrangements, said she
was coming, too. Charlie was relieved to find that
they were all coming out to Lower Radbourne in the
car, rather than Fraser dropping them off at
their much nearer homes before taking her on
alone.
They got into Fraser's battered Escort, Dawn in the
passenger seat, Charlie in the back with Russell and
Rowan. Fraser put a CD in the stereo and turned up
the volume. He drove far more aggressively than he
had on the way to the party.
'Careful, there'll be police about,' Dawn warned.
'Lisa's brother got nicked last Saturday, speeding.'
Fraser slowed, but once out of town on the country
lanes he put his foot down again. He and Dawn were
singing along to the music, something Charlie didn't
recognize; Russell had fallen asleep against Rowan's
shoulder.
Charlie closed her eyes, thinking of Flightsend and
bed; then she opened them wide as the car leapt away
from a junction. Fraser was driving with one hand on
the wheel, his spare arm round Dawn's neck, and
Dawn was giggling and leaning against him. Knowing
the lanes well, Charlie kept her gaze fixed on the road
ahead, the hedges and gateways illuminated by the
headlights. She needed to provide a more attentive
pair of eyes for Fraser.
'Fraser, slow down – slow down! – there's a sharp
bend here—' she called out.
They were approaching the corner by Devil's
Spinney, a right-angled bend. Fraser braked, not
enough. He jerked his spare arm from behind Dawn
and grabbed the wheel, losing control so that Charlie
saw tree trunks looming dizzily in front of them.
'Oh! Look out!' Dawn shrieked. 'There's a dog, or
something—'
Fraser wrenched at the wheel. Charlie felt a small
thud of impact, and Dawn screamed as the front of the
car tilted and came to a stop, centimetres away from a
gatepost. Fraser clicked off the stereo. Charlie's ears
buzzed in the sudden, blessed silence. It felt like being
on a roller-coaster that had come to an abrupt stop, her
insides swinging back to their normal place.
'What?' Russell asked blearily.
Dawn clapped both hands over her face. 'Oh, you
hit it – that dog!'
Caspar . The image of Caspar dead and bleeding by
the roadside leapt into Charlie's brain, though there
was no reason why he'd be wandering the lanes on his
own at night. Her hands shook as she fumbled with
the door catch. She felt drunk and befuddled,
although she hadn't had much to drink. She didn't
want to see, but she had to.
Dawn had got out too, stumbling in her high heels.
'Uurgh! Don't touch it! Oh, gross!'
It was a fox, hit a glancing blow and thrown into the
middle of the road. There was enough moonlight for
Charlie to see the gleam of teeth, the pale fur under
the chin, the bushy tail. A cub, she thought. She
touched it carefully, feeling the warmth, the softness
of the fur. She had heard and felt the impact; a young
creature couldn't survive that.
She turned on Fraser, who was examining the front
of his car. 'Look what you've done!'
'It's not my bloody fault!' he retaliated. 'The thing
was just there .'
'Oh no, what shall we do?' Dawn wailed. She
All the same, Charlie didn't want to drag her out of
bed at this hour, if Fraser could take her. He was being
loud and unfunny, but she didn't think he'd drunk
too much. She looked across at Lisa, who was sitting in
a very drawable, languid pose, sprawled on the sofa
with one leg curled underneath her and an arm
draped over the cushioned back. Charlie thought of
the drawing she could do if only she had a sketchbook
and pencil; thought of showing it to Oliver Locke
tomorrow.
She'd had enough of sitting about. She went to find
Rowan, and found her coming downstairs trailing
Russell by the hand.
'Where've you been? I want to go home,' Charlie
said.
'We were just coming to look for you.' Rowan
giggled. 'We fell asleep.'
'Oh, is that what you've been doing?' Charlie asked,
sceptically. 'Let's collect Fraser, then, and go. If we can
prise him away from Dawn.'
Dawn, hearing about the arrangements, said she
was coming, too. Charlie was relieved to find that
they were all coming out to Lower Radbourne in the
car, rather than Fraser dropping them off at
their much nearer homes before taking her on
alone.
They got into Fraser's battered Escort, Dawn in the
passenger seat, Charlie in the back with Russell and
Rowan. Fraser put a CD in the stereo and turned up
the volume. He drove far more aggressively than he
had on the way to the party.
'Careful, there'll be police about,' Dawn warned.
'Lisa's brother got nicked last Saturday, speeding.'
Fraser slowed, but once out of town on the country
lanes he put his foot down again. He and Dawn were
singing along to the music, something Charlie didn't
recognize; Russell had fallen asleep against Rowan's
shoulder.
Charlie closed her eyes, thinking of Flightsend and
bed; then she opened them wide as the car leapt away
from a junction. Fraser was driving with one hand on
the wheel, his spare arm round Dawn's neck, and
Dawn was giggling and leaning against him. Knowing
the lanes well, Charlie kept her gaze fixed on the road
ahead, the hedges and gateways illuminated by the
headlights. She needed to provide a more attentive
pair of eyes for Fraser.
'Fraser, slow down – slow down! – there's a sharp
bend here—' she called out.
They were approaching the corner by Devil's
Spinney, a right-angled bend. Fraser braked, not
enough. He jerked his spare arm from behind Dawn
and grabbed the wheel, losing control so that Charlie
saw tree trunks looming dizzily in front of them.
'Oh! Look out!' Dawn shrieked. 'There's a dog, or
something—'
Fraser wrenched at the wheel. Charlie felt a small
thud of impact, and Dawn screamed as the front of the
car tilted and came to a stop, centimetres away from a
gatepost. Fraser clicked off the stereo. Charlie's ears
buzzed in the sudden, blessed silence. It felt like being
on a roller-coaster that had come to an abrupt stop, her
insides swinging back to their normal place.
'What?' Russell asked blearily.
Dawn clapped both hands over her face. 'Oh, you
hit it – that dog!'
Caspar . The image of Caspar dead and bleeding by
the roadside leapt into Charlie's brain, though there
was no reason why he'd be wandering the lanes on his
own at night. Her hands shook as she fumbled with
the door catch. She felt drunk and befuddled,
although she hadn't had much to drink. She didn't
want to see, but she had to.
Dawn had got out too, stumbling in her high heels.
'Uurgh! Don't touch it! Oh, gross!'
It was a fox, hit a glancing blow and thrown into the
middle of the road. There was enough moonlight for
Charlie to see the gleam of teeth, the pale fur under
the chin, the bushy tail. A cub, she thought. She
touched it carefully, feeling the warmth, the softness
of the fur. She had heard and felt the impact; a young
creature couldn't survive that.
She turned on Fraser, who was examining the front
of his car. 'Look what you've done!'
'It's not my bloody fault!' he retaliated. 'The thing
was just there .'
'Oh no, what shall we do?' Dawn wailed. She
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