kissed my forehead, wrapped his arms around me and glanced at Lucca, who was staring at the trunk.
‘Keep her safe, my friend. She’s the only family I have.’
‘Of course!’ Lucca raised his hat as a sort of salute and threw it down onto a seat. ‘She is a sister to me too. Always remember that.’
Joey nodded. He released me and reached across to clasp Lucca’s arm. The hollow sound of doors slamming echoed down the corridor.
‘You have to go, Joey. It’s time.’
‘It’s never time, Kitty.’ He winked and suddenly he was the man – the bold, brazen, cocksure brother I adored. Truly, Joseph Peck was the best actor I ever knew. Almost.
He blew a kiss, turned and sauntered away down the corridor. Old brass buttons and dander fluff was standing at the end, twitching to slam the door.
I watched my handsome brother disappear from view and then I heard the dismal, final thud.
‘Quick, Lucca, open the blind and roll down the window.’ I needn’t have asked. He was already working the brass handle in the panelling, winding it furiously to make the glass slide.
I stepped past the trunk, without giving a thought to what was inside it, and leaned out. David had gone but Joey was still there, wreathed in smoke. Lucca stood just behind me, one hand gripping the rim of the glass. I could sense him craning over my shoulder.
The train jerked forward and Joey started to walk alongside us.
‘Joey, I’ve got these. They’re yours. I meant to give them back to you.’ I scrabbled at the high collar of the blue dress and freed the gold chain with the ring and the Christopher. I tried to pull it over my head, but the links caught up in my hair.
‘Keep them.’ Joey was running now as the train gathered speed. ‘Or return them to me next time we meet. It can be a sort of promise between us?’ He reached up to seize my hand. ‘I . . . I’m sorry for everything, Kitty.’
I nodded. I couldn’t speak. I felt like I was trying to swallow down a goose egg whole and my eyes were watering. It wasn’t the smoke.
The train was rocking now. I had to drop Joey’s hand, but I leaned out further to keep him in view. Lucca was no longer beside me. I heard a padded seat wheeze as he sat down heavily.
Joey stopped running. He waved and called something out but I couldn’t hear him. There was an ear-splitting whistle and a tremendous whoosh as a torrent of steam rolled back from the engine ahead. My brother disappeared from view.
I covered my mouth and nose and stood on tiptoe desperate to catch a last glimpse of him. As the train veered to the left, the smoke cleared and I saw that there was someone standing watching at the very end of the platform, only it wasn’t Joey. It was a man with snow-white hair.
A couple of seconds later he disappeared too as the train pulled round and a jagged outcrop of smoke-blackened buildings obscured my last view of the Gare du Nord.
I wiped my cheeks, drew back from the window and plonked down in the seat next to Lucca. I wanted to close my eyes and sleep for a hundred years, but my head felt as if it was about to burst. I couldn’t tell if it was the drink from the night before or the tumble I’d taken. Both, most like. A little shower of lights went off in my head and a pain knifed through my right temple. I leaned forward, pressing the heel of my hand into my eye. At the same moment there was a wailing noise from the trunk. Lucca looked down at the lid, which quite clearly had holes punched across it at one end. The noise came again – the unmistakable sound of a baby crying.
Lucca stared at me and I stared at the trunk. He pushed his hair back behind his ears and bent to release the three clasps along one side. As the last one clicked open he spoke.
‘Do you have something to tell me, Fannella?’
Chapter Nine
If I held my head to one side it was a bird, maybe two of them twined round each other. I narrowed my eyes. No, that weren’t right, there was just one black body.
‘Keep her safe, my friend. She’s the only family I have.’
‘Of course!’ Lucca raised his hat as a sort of salute and threw it down onto a seat. ‘She is a sister to me too. Always remember that.’
Joey nodded. He released me and reached across to clasp Lucca’s arm. The hollow sound of doors slamming echoed down the corridor.
‘You have to go, Joey. It’s time.’
‘It’s never time, Kitty.’ He winked and suddenly he was the man – the bold, brazen, cocksure brother I adored. Truly, Joseph Peck was the best actor I ever knew. Almost.
He blew a kiss, turned and sauntered away down the corridor. Old brass buttons and dander fluff was standing at the end, twitching to slam the door.
I watched my handsome brother disappear from view and then I heard the dismal, final thud.
‘Quick, Lucca, open the blind and roll down the window.’ I needn’t have asked. He was already working the brass handle in the panelling, winding it furiously to make the glass slide.
I stepped past the trunk, without giving a thought to what was inside it, and leaned out. David had gone but Joey was still there, wreathed in smoke. Lucca stood just behind me, one hand gripping the rim of the glass. I could sense him craning over my shoulder.
The train jerked forward and Joey started to walk alongside us.
‘Joey, I’ve got these. They’re yours. I meant to give them back to you.’ I scrabbled at the high collar of the blue dress and freed the gold chain with the ring and the Christopher. I tried to pull it over my head, but the links caught up in my hair.
‘Keep them.’ Joey was running now as the train gathered speed. ‘Or return them to me next time we meet. It can be a sort of promise between us?’ He reached up to seize my hand. ‘I . . . I’m sorry for everything, Kitty.’
I nodded. I couldn’t speak. I felt like I was trying to swallow down a goose egg whole and my eyes were watering. It wasn’t the smoke.
The train was rocking now. I had to drop Joey’s hand, but I leaned out further to keep him in view. Lucca was no longer beside me. I heard a padded seat wheeze as he sat down heavily.
Joey stopped running. He waved and called something out but I couldn’t hear him. There was an ear-splitting whistle and a tremendous whoosh as a torrent of steam rolled back from the engine ahead. My brother disappeared from view.
I covered my mouth and nose and stood on tiptoe desperate to catch a last glimpse of him. As the train veered to the left, the smoke cleared and I saw that there was someone standing watching at the very end of the platform, only it wasn’t Joey. It was a man with snow-white hair.
A couple of seconds later he disappeared too as the train pulled round and a jagged outcrop of smoke-blackened buildings obscured my last view of the Gare du Nord.
I wiped my cheeks, drew back from the window and plonked down in the seat next to Lucca. I wanted to close my eyes and sleep for a hundred years, but my head felt as if it was about to burst. I couldn’t tell if it was the drink from the night before or the tumble I’d taken. Both, most like. A little shower of lights went off in my head and a pain knifed through my right temple. I leaned forward, pressing the heel of my hand into my eye. At the same moment there was a wailing noise from the trunk. Lucca looked down at the lid, which quite clearly had holes punched across it at one end. The noise came again – the unmistakable sound of a baby crying.
Lucca stared at me and I stared at the trunk. He pushed his hair back behind his ears and bent to release the three clasps along one side. As the last one clicked open he spoke.
‘Do you have something to tell me, Fannella?’
Chapter Nine
If I held my head to one side it was a bird, maybe two of them twined round each other. I narrowed my eyes. No, that weren’t right, there was just one black body.
Similar Books
