although she was seething with impatience.
In the kitchen, Rose was making hot chocolate. “This’ll help. George is running the bath and then you can get into some dry clothes.”
“You still have hot water?”
“Yes. There’s a back boiler in the smithy.”
“What’s that?” asked Josh.
“It’s a boiler behind the fire. The fire heats the water,” said Callie.
“And we’ve got gas for cooking,” Rose went on, “so you’ll be as well here as anywhere just now.”
An hour later they were all in the smithy, warm, dry and, for the time being, safe. Anna had phoned their neighbours to ask them to do what they could in the meantime and seemed resigned to being stuck in Pitmillie for the moment. Josh’s head still ached. He wanted nothing more than to lie down and go to sleep. His mother and Rose and George were chatting away inexhaustibly. On the other side of the fire he could see Callie fretting.
Eventually she could stand it no longer. “I’ll go and make the spare beds up, Rose. Come on, Josh, you can give me a hand.”
“Thank you, Callie, but leave Josh where he is. He looks worn out.”
“No, I’m fine. I need to get up or I’ll fall asleep.”
Callie led him to her room and pulled the box out from under the bed. She let Josh open it while she lit three candles in jars and found her torch again. She glanced out of the window as she did so.
“It’s stopped snowing.”
“Well, that’s something.” Josh examined the bottle,rubbing at the cloudy glass with one finger, trying to see if there was anything inside.
“Go on – read the letter-diary thing. I’ll go and make the beds up.”
She came back ten minutes later to find Josh reading the last page, a frown on his face.
“What happened to her?”
“I don’t know. That’s all there was.”
They were silent for a few seconds, considering the fates that might have befallen Agnes.
“But she was only sixteen,” said Josh. “They wouldn’t have …”
“Yes they would,” said Callie fiercely. “Age made no difference. If they thought she was a witch they most likely killed her.”
“She
was
a witch.”
“Or thought she was. She doesn’t seem to have done anything. Anyway, that’s not the point. She and the others brought this bottle out of the Kingdom of Summer to change the weather. The King said some of the Queen’s power had been stolen and that’s why all this,” she waved vaguely towards the window, “is happening.”
“But they didn’t steal this; she gave it to them.”
“If Agnes is telling the truth. But maybe they stole it. Agnes wouldn’t want to say that on top of everything else. It would be easier to pretend they’d been given it.”
From downstairs, Rose called “Tea’s ready.”
“We need to get back to the cave and show the bottle to the Winter King, and if this is what’s been stolen, we have to find a way to return it,” said Josh.
“Exactly.”
“But how are we going to get back to him? We can hardly suggest popping out for a nice walk in this.”
Callie looked triumphant. “We’ll wait until everyone’s asleep, then we’ll drive there.”
Josh burst out laughing. “If only!”
“No, I’m serious. Listen: my parents’ car is in their garage. I’ve given you the downstairs spare room, so all we have to do is wait until everyone’s asleep then go and get it. I’ve got the house keys and I know where the car keys are.”
Josh seriously considered shaking her. Instead, with an effort, he kept his voice level. “Neither of us can drive.”
“
I
can. George taught me on the road at the old airfield on the way to Fife Ness. Rose doesn’t know – she’d be furious with him – but I can drive.”
“But you’re not old enough!”
She shrugged. “All right. Let’s hear
your
idea.”
“I don’t have one.”
“Well, then?”
“Remember, I’ve been in a car today and look what happened.”
“But you said yourself, it’s not nearly so bad here. And
In the kitchen, Rose was making hot chocolate. “This’ll help. George is running the bath and then you can get into some dry clothes.”
“You still have hot water?”
“Yes. There’s a back boiler in the smithy.”
“What’s that?” asked Josh.
“It’s a boiler behind the fire. The fire heats the water,” said Callie.
“And we’ve got gas for cooking,” Rose went on, “so you’ll be as well here as anywhere just now.”
An hour later they were all in the smithy, warm, dry and, for the time being, safe. Anna had phoned their neighbours to ask them to do what they could in the meantime and seemed resigned to being stuck in Pitmillie for the moment. Josh’s head still ached. He wanted nothing more than to lie down and go to sleep. His mother and Rose and George were chatting away inexhaustibly. On the other side of the fire he could see Callie fretting.
Eventually she could stand it no longer. “I’ll go and make the spare beds up, Rose. Come on, Josh, you can give me a hand.”
“Thank you, Callie, but leave Josh where he is. He looks worn out.”
“No, I’m fine. I need to get up or I’ll fall asleep.”
Callie led him to her room and pulled the box out from under the bed. She let Josh open it while she lit three candles in jars and found her torch again. She glanced out of the window as she did so.
“It’s stopped snowing.”
“Well, that’s something.” Josh examined the bottle,rubbing at the cloudy glass with one finger, trying to see if there was anything inside.
“Go on – read the letter-diary thing. I’ll go and make the beds up.”
She came back ten minutes later to find Josh reading the last page, a frown on his face.
“What happened to her?”
“I don’t know. That’s all there was.”
They were silent for a few seconds, considering the fates that might have befallen Agnes.
“But she was only sixteen,” said Josh. “They wouldn’t have …”
“Yes they would,” said Callie fiercely. “Age made no difference. If they thought she was a witch they most likely killed her.”
“She
was
a witch.”
“Or thought she was. She doesn’t seem to have done anything. Anyway, that’s not the point. She and the others brought this bottle out of the Kingdom of Summer to change the weather. The King said some of the Queen’s power had been stolen and that’s why all this,” she waved vaguely towards the window, “is happening.”
“But they didn’t steal this; she gave it to them.”
“If Agnes is telling the truth. But maybe they stole it. Agnes wouldn’t want to say that on top of everything else. It would be easier to pretend they’d been given it.”
From downstairs, Rose called “Tea’s ready.”
“We need to get back to the cave and show the bottle to the Winter King, and if this is what’s been stolen, we have to find a way to return it,” said Josh.
“Exactly.”
“But how are we going to get back to him? We can hardly suggest popping out for a nice walk in this.”
Callie looked triumphant. “We’ll wait until everyone’s asleep, then we’ll drive there.”
Josh burst out laughing. “If only!”
“No, I’m serious. Listen: my parents’ car is in their garage. I’ve given you the downstairs spare room, so all we have to do is wait until everyone’s asleep then go and get it. I’ve got the house keys and I know where the car keys are.”
Josh seriously considered shaking her. Instead, with an effort, he kept his voice level. “Neither of us can drive.”
“
I
can. George taught me on the road at the old airfield on the way to Fife Ness. Rose doesn’t know – she’d be furious with him – but I can drive.”
“But you’re not old enough!”
She shrugged. “All right. Let’s hear
your
idea.”
“I don’t have one.”
“Well, then?”
“Remember, I’ve been in a car today and look what happened.”
“But you said yourself, it’s not nearly so bad here. And
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