cup of tea to calm down before we get him home… is that alright, George?’
‘Me calm down?’ George asked in disbelief as they began the short walk back to the house, ‘what about you? It wasn’t me staring death in the face a minute ago.’
‘Oh… I’m alright,’ Hannah said cheerfully. A bit too cheerfully. She only hoped nobody could see that her legs were still shaking. She needed a cup of tea too, but with a bit of something stronger to go with it.
*
Hannah’s legs finally buckled as she reached the kitchen, and Gina, with that silent understanding that only sisters possess, gently manoeuvred her to a chair without a word.
‘Tea…’ Gina murmured as she opened and shut cupboards searching for more cups, while everyone else filed in behind them. Hannah watched, the sudden dissipation of adrenaline from her system making her feel weak and useless.
‘That cupboard… On the left,’ she said quietly.
‘Would you like some help?’ Tom asked.
Gina cocked an eyebrow at him. ‘I think you ought to get some dry clothes on first.’
George was already peeling his coat and boots off, and looked around the kitchen for somewhere to hang them.
‘The peg by the back door will be fine,’ Gina told him. Her attention turned back to Tom, who was now looking down at himself and seemed to be surprised that he was, once again, soaked to the skin.
‘I don’t think my own clothes will be dry just yet,’ he said apologetically.
‘There are some more in the spare bedroom,’ Hannah began, and she made to get up but Gina laid a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back into her chair.
‘You sit down. And take that coat off so Jess can hang it up.’ She turned to Tom. ‘Up the stairs, first bedroom you come to is the spare one. You’ll find a hideous antique wardrobe in there.’
‘It is
not
hideous!’ Hannah squeaked.
‘You keep telling yourself that,’ Gina said mildly. ‘Hotel for woodworm is what it is.’
Tom went off to find himself some clothes. Hannah frowned at Gina. ‘Did you have to send him upstairs?’
‘Are you worried he’ll find something he shouldn’t?’
‘Of course not. It’s just weird, that’s all.’
‘The amount of Jason’s clothes you still have; is that the weird thing you mean?’
‘How do you know how much I have up there?’
‘I don’t. But that you have any at all is weird. I binned everything Howard didn’t collect.’
‘I was going to get around to it… I just kept forgetting.’
‘Of course you did. I suppose it’s lucky really that you didn’t throw them out or Tom would have been walking around in that silk kimono you brought back from Tokyo.’
George joined Hannah at the table, lowering himself into a chair. She could almost hear his old bones crack as he settled. She wasn’t sure how old he was – pushing ninety, at least, she suspected – but she’d always liked him. He was one of her most helpful and cheery neighbours, although his house was a good walk from hers.
‘How are you feeling?’ Hannah asked.
‘I might ask you the same thing,’ George replied.
‘Oh, I’m fine, don’t you worry. A lovely cup of tea and I’ll be right as rain.’
Gina placed a shot glass in front of her, and then one in front of George, before bustling off to the boiling kettle.
‘What’s this?’ Hannah asked, eyeing it doubtfully.
‘Brandy,’ Gina replied. ‘Drink up.’
‘I don’t want one.’
‘Sure you do. It’ll calm your nerves,’ Gina said.
George held his up to the light, inspecting it with a look of approval. ‘As I won’t be driving today, I suppose it couldn’t hurt to warm me up.’
‘That’s the spirit,’ Gina laughed as she poured boiling water into the teapot.
‘Can I have one?’ Jess asked.
‘A cup of tea?’ Gina turned to her.
‘A brandy…’
Gina planted her hands on her hips. ‘What do you think?’
‘I’m nearly eighteen.’
‘Not near enough,’ Gina replied, before returning to her
‘Me calm down?’ George asked in disbelief as they began the short walk back to the house, ‘what about you? It wasn’t me staring death in the face a minute ago.’
‘Oh… I’m alright,’ Hannah said cheerfully. A bit too cheerfully. She only hoped nobody could see that her legs were still shaking. She needed a cup of tea too, but with a bit of something stronger to go with it.
*
Hannah’s legs finally buckled as she reached the kitchen, and Gina, with that silent understanding that only sisters possess, gently manoeuvred her to a chair without a word.
‘Tea…’ Gina murmured as she opened and shut cupboards searching for more cups, while everyone else filed in behind them. Hannah watched, the sudden dissipation of adrenaline from her system making her feel weak and useless.
‘That cupboard… On the left,’ she said quietly.
‘Would you like some help?’ Tom asked.
Gina cocked an eyebrow at him. ‘I think you ought to get some dry clothes on first.’
George was already peeling his coat and boots off, and looked around the kitchen for somewhere to hang them.
‘The peg by the back door will be fine,’ Gina told him. Her attention turned back to Tom, who was now looking down at himself and seemed to be surprised that he was, once again, soaked to the skin.
‘I don’t think my own clothes will be dry just yet,’ he said apologetically.
‘There are some more in the spare bedroom,’ Hannah began, and she made to get up but Gina laid a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back into her chair.
‘You sit down. And take that coat off so Jess can hang it up.’ She turned to Tom. ‘Up the stairs, first bedroom you come to is the spare one. You’ll find a hideous antique wardrobe in there.’
‘It is
not
hideous!’ Hannah squeaked.
‘You keep telling yourself that,’ Gina said mildly. ‘Hotel for woodworm is what it is.’
Tom went off to find himself some clothes. Hannah frowned at Gina. ‘Did you have to send him upstairs?’
‘Are you worried he’ll find something he shouldn’t?’
‘Of course not. It’s just weird, that’s all.’
‘The amount of Jason’s clothes you still have; is that the weird thing you mean?’
‘How do you know how much I have up there?’
‘I don’t. But that you have any at all is weird. I binned everything Howard didn’t collect.’
‘I was going to get around to it… I just kept forgetting.’
‘Of course you did. I suppose it’s lucky really that you didn’t throw them out or Tom would have been walking around in that silk kimono you brought back from Tokyo.’
George joined Hannah at the table, lowering himself into a chair. She could almost hear his old bones crack as he settled. She wasn’t sure how old he was – pushing ninety, at least, she suspected – but she’d always liked him. He was one of her most helpful and cheery neighbours, although his house was a good walk from hers.
‘How are you feeling?’ Hannah asked.
‘I might ask you the same thing,’ George replied.
‘Oh, I’m fine, don’t you worry. A lovely cup of tea and I’ll be right as rain.’
Gina placed a shot glass in front of her, and then one in front of George, before bustling off to the boiling kettle.
‘What’s this?’ Hannah asked, eyeing it doubtfully.
‘Brandy,’ Gina replied. ‘Drink up.’
‘I don’t want one.’
‘Sure you do. It’ll calm your nerves,’ Gina said.
George held his up to the light, inspecting it with a look of approval. ‘As I won’t be driving today, I suppose it couldn’t hurt to warm me up.’
‘That’s the spirit,’ Gina laughed as she poured boiling water into the teapot.
‘Can I have one?’ Jess asked.
‘A cup of tea?’ Gina turned to her.
‘A brandy…’
Gina planted her hands on her hips. ‘What do you think?’
‘I’m nearly eighteen.’
‘Not near enough,’ Gina replied, before returning to her
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