Promise to Obey by Stella Whitelaw

haven’t had my toast and honey,’ Lily protested. She hustled them into their coats, checked their school bags, and then ran with them out onto the drive. Daniel was away like the wind but Lily was panting and wheezing. Jessica slowed down.
    ‘Have you got your inhaler?’
    Lily looked vague as if she had never heard the word before. ‘I dunno.’
    Jessica searched the schoolbag and found the inhaler at thebottom. It felt light and empty. She checked the expiry date. She took Lily’s hand and started walking. ‘Now breathe with me slowly,’ she said. ‘In … and out. Again, in time with me, Lily, in … and out. Big slow breathes. That’s the way.’
    By the time they reached the waiting bus, Lily’s breathing had settled. Jessica smiled at the driver. ‘Thank you for waiting,’ she said. ‘We had a little problem.’
    ‘Anything for you, miss,’ he grinned back.
    ‘Will you be here when we come home?’ Lily asked as she climbed the bus steps, looking back anxiously. ‘Willdo, please, will you be here?’
    ‘I’ll be here,’ said Jessica. ‘We’re going to play some games in the garden, remember? I’ve some new ones to show you.’
    Lily smiled happily. ‘Games in the garden, Willdo? And you promise?’
    Jessica waved the bus out of sight, unaware that Lucas was standing behind her, hands in his pockets, rocking on his heels.
    ‘Ah, the Jessica magic,’ he said lightly. ‘New games in the garden.’
    Jessica started. She had not expected an audience. ‘Not really,’ she said. ‘It’s keeping a promise.’
    ‘And do you always keep your promises?’
    ‘It depends on what they are,’ she said, as they began walking back to the house. He adjusted his step to match hers. ‘If it’s a promise that’s been forced out of me, then I should not hesitate to break it.’
    ‘And have you made a promise to Lady Grace?’
    He was sharp. He knew that there was no way Lady Grace would do anything without a very large carrot. And Jessica had discovered a carrot.
    ‘I’ve promised to play cards with her this afternoon if she will walk a short distance with me this morning.’
    ‘Ah, cards. She’s an addict. Whist, bridge, poker. She’ll beat you.’
    ‘Winning isn’t important; it’s the playing that matters.’
    Lucas’s arm went round her slim waist. It was casual, unexpected . ‘And what are you going to promise me, Willdo, if I am very good and walk with you and do everything that you say?’
    Jessica was lost for words, reluctant to break the spell. She wished he had not begun this teasing. She could hear the electricity humming in the wires overhead, the wind rustling the trees, the faint engine of the school bus. But her heart was pounding even louder. She twisted herself out of his grasp.
    ‘Now that would be telling,’ she said, deliberately evasive.
    He drew away, putting space between them. He began to pull at a loose thread in his sweater, seemingly unaware that it needed mending.
    ‘So what do you plan to do this morning?’
    She was glad that the conversation had reverted to mundane things. ‘I have to unpack my things. Everything will be horribly creased. Then I want to check the children’s clothes and see if they have swimsuits. I could do this anytime. I’m really putting off the moment when I have to confront Lady Grace and get her walking.’
    ‘Do you need any help?’ He sounded genuinely concerned. ‘How about a whip or a gun? I think we’ve got an old airgun in an attic somewhere.’
    She was immediately drawn to his easy banter. She could cope with this. It gave her time to look at the structure of his face and the imprint of Daniel echoed in the fine bones. She thought of the motorbike boy and shuddered. Accidents were always dreadful, but facial injuries could be devastating. She wondered what it would be like to look in the mirror and see a different face staring back.
    ‘Any medieval torture implements in the cellars?’ she asked.
    ‘I daresay I can find