“Did the man following you have two sort of black lumps under his eyes?”
Nina nodded. “He’s the scary one. He sits in his car and stares.”
“He’s Seb’s father,” said Polly. “Mr Morton Leroy. Is he here now?”
“I told you!” Nina said irritably. “They take it in turns. But why ?”
Polly had just been reading Mr Lynn’s letter. Mr Lynn obviously thought she was bold and bloodthirsty, and she wanted to prove he was right. “Let’s go out and ask him,” she said.
Nina replied with a shocked giggle. She could not believe Polly meant it. “Never speak to strange men,” she said. “Your Granny said.”
“He’s not strange – I know his name,” Polly said. “He’s not even a man.”
“He’s big, though,” Nina objected.
At this, Polly took great pleasure in saying, “Nina Carrington, stop being such a scaredy-cat or I won’t be your friend any more.” It worked too. As Polly marched to the door and downstairs, she heard Nina come stumbling after her, fighting her way into her coat to disguise her lack of courage. They went out of the front door and crossed the street together.
As they went towards him, Seb backed away into the shadow under the bush. Probably he did not credit that they were actually on their way to speak to him. By the time they reached him, he was flattened against the wall beneath the bush. He stared at them, and they stared at him. He was a good foot taller than they were. If it had not been for Mr Lynn’s letter, Polly thought she might have run away.
“What are you spying on Nina for?” she said.
Seb’s face turned from one to the other. “Which of you is Nina?”
“Me,” Nina said in a scared, throaty way.
“Then I’m not,” said Seb. “It’s you with the fair hair I’m supposed to watch. Now get lost, both of you.”
“Why?” Polly said. And Nina was indignant enough to add, “And we’re not going till you tell us!”
Seb hunched his shoulders against the wall and slid his feet forward across the pavement. He laughed at the way they backed away from his feet as they slid. It brought his face nearly down to their level, giving them a full blast of the scorn and dislike in it. “I’ve a good mind to tell you,” he said. “Yes, why not?” He nodded his chin at Polly. “You,” he said, “took something when you came to our house, didn’t you?”
“It was given me!” said Polly.
“So what? You took it,” said Seb.
“I am not a thief!” Polly said angrily. “I didn’t even break and enter. The door was open and I went in.”
“Shut up,” said Seb. “Listen. You didn’t eat and you didn’t drink, and you worked the Nowhere vases round first. Don’t deny it. I saw you working them. And I haven’t told my father that – yet. You owe me for that.”
“I don’t understand a word of this!” Nina said. “And it was me you were following, not Polly.”
“You shut up too,” Seb said, jerking his chin at Nina. “You only come into it because the two of you act like Siamese twins, trotting to her house, trotting to your house, trotting to school together. I didn’t know even little girls could be that boring!”
“We’re not boring,” said Polly.
“Yes you are – boring as hell,” Seb retorted disagreeably.
“Hell’s not boring,” Nina said smartly. She hated not being the centre of attention. “There’s devils with forks and flames, and thousands of sinners. You won’t have a dull moment when you go there.”
“I’m not planning to go there,” Seb said. “I told you to shut up. I’m planning not to,” he said to Polly, “and I told you, you owe me.”
Polly was puzzled and scared, but she said defiantly, “Laurel’s not having it back! It’s mine.”
“Laurel doesn’t know,” said Seb. “Luckily for you. Have you seen or talked to a certain person from the house since the funeral?”
Polly thought of the varied sheets of Mr Lynn’s letter lying on her bed across the street, and
Nina nodded. “He’s the scary one. He sits in his car and stares.”
“He’s Seb’s father,” said Polly. “Mr Morton Leroy. Is he here now?”
“I told you!” Nina said irritably. “They take it in turns. But why ?”
Polly had just been reading Mr Lynn’s letter. Mr Lynn obviously thought she was bold and bloodthirsty, and she wanted to prove he was right. “Let’s go out and ask him,” she said.
Nina replied with a shocked giggle. She could not believe Polly meant it. “Never speak to strange men,” she said. “Your Granny said.”
“He’s not strange – I know his name,” Polly said. “He’s not even a man.”
“He’s big, though,” Nina objected.
At this, Polly took great pleasure in saying, “Nina Carrington, stop being such a scaredy-cat or I won’t be your friend any more.” It worked too. As Polly marched to the door and downstairs, she heard Nina come stumbling after her, fighting her way into her coat to disguise her lack of courage. They went out of the front door and crossed the street together.
As they went towards him, Seb backed away into the shadow under the bush. Probably he did not credit that they were actually on their way to speak to him. By the time they reached him, he was flattened against the wall beneath the bush. He stared at them, and they stared at him. He was a good foot taller than they were. If it had not been for Mr Lynn’s letter, Polly thought she might have run away.
“What are you spying on Nina for?” she said.
Seb’s face turned from one to the other. “Which of you is Nina?”
“Me,” Nina said in a scared, throaty way.
“Then I’m not,” said Seb. “It’s you with the fair hair I’m supposed to watch. Now get lost, both of you.”
“Why?” Polly said. And Nina was indignant enough to add, “And we’re not going till you tell us!”
Seb hunched his shoulders against the wall and slid his feet forward across the pavement. He laughed at the way they backed away from his feet as they slid. It brought his face nearly down to their level, giving them a full blast of the scorn and dislike in it. “I’ve a good mind to tell you,” he said. “Yes, why not?” He nodded his chin at Polly. “You,” he said, “took something when you came to our house, didn’t you?”
“It was given me!” said Polly.
“So what? You took it,” said Seb.
“I am not a thief!” Polly said angrily. “I didn’t even break and enter. The door was open and I went in.”
“Shut up,” said Seb. “Listen. You didn’t eat and you didn’t drink, and you worked the Nowhere vases round first. Don’t deny it. I saw you working them. And I haven’t told my father that – yet. You owe me for that.”
“I don’t understand a word of this!” Nina said. “And it was me you were following, not Polly.”
“You shut up too,” Seb said, jerking his chin at Nina. “You only come into it because the two of you act like Siamese twins, trotting to her house, trotting to your house, trotting to school together. I didn’t know even little girls could be that boring!”
“We’re not boring,” said Polly.
“Yes you are – boring as hell,” Seb retorted disagreeably.
“Hell’s not boring,” Nina said smartly. She hated not being the centre of attention. “There’s devils with forks and flames, and thousands of sinners. You won’t have a dull moment when you go there.”
“I’m not planning to go there,” Seb said. “I told you to shut up. I’m planning not to,” he said to Polly, “and I told you, you owe me.”
Polly was puzzled and scared, but she said defiantly, “Laurel’s not having it back! It’s mine.”
“Laurel doesn’t know,” said Seb. “Luckily for you. Have you seen or talked to a certain person from the house since the funeral?”
Polly thought of the varied sheets of Mr Lynn’s letter lying on her bed across the street, and
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