ready.” Mrs Skelton was at the door, the duster still in one hand.
I slid off the bed, aware that I’d had my shoes on the bedcover, and knowing that Mrs Skelton had seen me.
“Afternoon tea? Yummy,” I gabbled.
I hadn’t said the word yummy … well, ever really. I barely stopped myself from rubbing my stomach like some pantomime character. There was something about Mrs Skelton that always made me feel like apologising.
“I hear you’ve made a tart.” I tried to brush at the dirt my shoes had left, pretending I was smoothing the bedcover.
“Did you now?” She eyed me suspiciously.
“Rumer told me. She said she hoped the tarts were as good as your muffins.” I laughed nervously.
“Did she?” Mrs Skelton moved towards the bed and shook her head at the mess my shoes had made.
“I love a good tart,” I said, edging towards the door. That just sounded rude. I stifled a nervous giggle. I didn’t think Mrs Skelton would enjoy the joke. “Muffins too. Muffins and tarts. They’re all good.”
“Afternoon tea is a waste of time, if you ask me,” said Mrs Skelton severely. “Considering your dinner is at six. Don’t fill up on tart,” she said. “I’m not cooking a roast for nothing.”
“Oh, a roast. Great. I’m just going to …”
And with that I left the room and ran down the stairs, leaving Mrs Skelton grumbling behind me.
The Harts didn’t stay for long. There was barely time for me to go downstairs and shove the rubbery lemon tart into my mouth before they were standing up and saying their goodbyes.
“See you soon,” Rumer said to Luke before she disappeared upstairs.
As usual, Rumer hadn’t wasted time organising her social calendar. It seemed like Luke Hart was back on the menu.
My heart skipped as Luke stopped on the steps with me then leaned in and brushed my cheek with his lips and whispered in my ear, “I will see you soon …”
Actually, that didn’t really happen.
While I was dreaming of Luke Hart kissing me on the cheek he was waving goodbye, closing the car door behind him, then disappearing down the driveway in a flurry of white gravel.
Then I sat down on the house entrance steps and looked out past the bluff to the sea, which was the grey of Luke Hart’s eyes. A sea breeze sent the smell of something dead from the beach or it may have just been a stale mound of seaweed. I watched the choppy waves and the seagulls wheeling above me, riding on the air currents.
And I felt the house watching me as I sat.
Chapter 10
That first night at Vinegar House, well technically, it was the next morning, I woke at 2.47 am. I know this because I checked my mobile phone, which I kept under my pillow. I wasn’t sure what had woken me at first, and then I heard the
slap slap
of a loose shutter from somewhere downstairs. I was mostly awake so I decided to visit the toilet. With my torch app guiding me, I found my way to the dresser and turned on the tiny lamp there, then moved into the hallway and turned right towards the bathroom. I could hear the sound of fast-running water. It wasn’t the shallow sound of water splashing into the handbasin, but the deeper sound of water pouring into the bath.
Who’d be taking a bath now? I thought.
By this time I really had to go to the toilet, and the nearest toilet was in that bathroom. The second toilet was downstairs, and I didn’t like the idea of moving around the dark house with only a torch app on my phone to guide me.
I knocked softly on the bathroom door, but there was no answer. I knocked again, louder this time, then tried the handle and the door opened with a creak. The room was in darkness, so I turned on the light. Steam had fogged the cabinet mirror and condensation was already forming on the peeling wallpaper. A flimsy plastic curtain screened off the claw-foot bath up against the wall.
“Hello?” I whispered.
I know you think I’m probably crazy not to turn and run, but I was still half asleep, and my brain was on
I slid off the bed, aware that I’d had my shoes on the bedcover, and knowing that Mrs Skelton had seen me.
“Afternoon tea? Yummy,” I gabbled.
I hadn’t said the word yummy … well, ever really. I barely stopped myself from rubbing my stomach like some pantomime character. There was something about Mrs Skelton that always made me feel like apologising.
“I hear you’ve made a tart.” I tried to brush at the dirt my shoes had left, pretending I was smoothing the bedcover.
“Did you now?” She eyed me suspiciously.
“Rumer told me. She said she hoped the tarts were as good as your muffins.” I laughed nervously.
“Did she?” Mrs Skelton moved towards the bed and shook her head at the mess my shoes had made.
“I love a good tart,” I said, edging towards the door. That just sounded rude. I stifled a nervous giggle. I didn’t think Mrs Skelton would enjoy the joke. “Muffins too. Muffins and tarts. They’re all good.”
“Afternoon tea is a waste of time, if you ask me,” said Mrs Skelton severely. “Considering your dinner is at six. Don’t fill up on tart,” she said. “I’m not cooking a roast for nothing.”
“Oh, a roast. Great. I’m just going to …”
And with that I left the room and ran down the stairs, leaving Mrs Skelton grumbling behind me.
The Harts didn’t stay for long. There was barely time for me to go downstairs and shove the rubbery lemon tart into my mouth before they were standing up and saying their goodbyes.
“See you soon,” Rumer said to Luke before she disappeared upstairs.
As usual, Rumer hadn’t wasted time organising her social calendar. It seemed like Luke Hart was back on the menu.
My heart skipped as Luke stopped on the steps with me then leaned in and brushed my cheek with his lips and whispered in my ear, “I will see you soon …”
Actually, that didn’t really happen.
While I was dreaming of Luke Hart kissing me on the cheek he was waving goodbye, closing the car door behind him, then disappearing down the driveway in a flurry of white gravel.
Then I sat down on the house entrance steps and looked out past the bluff to the sea, which was the grey of Luke Hart’s eyes. A sea breeze sent the smell of something dead from the beach or it may have just been a stale mound of seaweed. I watched the choppy waves and the seagulls wheeling above me, riding on the air currents.
And I felt the house watching me as I sat.
Chapter 10
That first night at Vinegar House, well technically, it was the next morning, I woke at 2.47 am. I know this because I checked my mobile phone, which I kept under my pillow. I wasn’t sure what had woken me at first, and then I heard the
slap slap
of a loose shutter from somewhere downstairs. I was mostly awake so I decided to visit the toilet. With my torch app guiding me, I found my way to the dresser and turned on the tiny lamp there, then moved into the hallway and turned right towards the bathroom. I could hear the sound of fast-running water. It wasn’t the shallow sound of water splashing into the handbasin, but the deeper sound of water pouring into the bath.
Who’d be taking a bath now? I thought.
By this time I really had to go to the toilet, and the nearest toilet was in that bathroom. The second toilet was downstairs, and I didn’t like the idea of moving around the dark house with only a torch app on my phone to guide me.
I knocked softly on the bathroom door, but there was no answer. I knocked again, louder this time, then tried the handle and the door opened with a creak. The room was in darkness, so I turned on the light. Steam had fogged the cabinet mirror and condensation was already forming on the peeling wallpaper. A flimsy plastic curtain screened off the claw-foot bath up against the wall.
“Hello?” I whispered.
I know you think I’m probably crazy not to turn and run, but I was still half asleep, and my brain was on
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