Shadows at Stonewylde (35 page)

The unwanted visit came when Leveret had gone back home with Maizie, having first been promised by both Hazel and Marigold that they’d look out for Magpie and keep Jay well away from him. Leveret was now back in the cottage where she’d lived all her life and basking in Maizie’s affection. She had yet to face the rest of the community and was dreading it, feeling so ashamed of herself and what she’d tried to do. She made excuses when Maizie tried to persuade her to come and join in the fun at the Barn, saying she still felt wobbly and tired. She actually felt very well indeed having caught up with her sleep and eaten fit to burst.

It was whilst Maizie was organising the children’s treasure hunt around the Village that Yul arrived unannounced. Leveret was reading a book by the fire, curled up in one of the old leather armchairs. The door swung open and her eldest brother stood on the threshold, tall and filling the doorway with his muscular frame. She looked up startled, her heart starting to skip with fear. He triggered a memory from way back in her past – of an enormous man standing on the threshold looking in. Had that been the old Magus?

Yul frowned down at her and she was struck by how changed he looked. Although he was still very handsome – the chiselled face and deep grey eyes would always ensure that – his hair was unkempt, falling into his eyes, and his mouth hard.

‘Good! I was hoping to find you here.’

He stepped in and firmly shut the door behind him.

‘Can I get you something to drink?’ she asked politely, knowing the kettle was bubbling gently on the range.

‘No … yes, some mead if Mother’s got any. It’s cold out there.’

She was a little surprised but duly poured him a glass which he sipped slowly, watching her all the while. She felt very uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

‘You’re looking well, Leveret.’

‘Thank you, I feel fine now.’

‘I can’t help but think you came out of this too lightly. Violent stomach pains or cramps might’ve put you off ever trying it again.’

‘I won’t ever try it again.’

‘Really? Even though it’s proved so effective this time?’

She stared at him in puzzlement. Surely he didn’t think she’d just done it for effect? That had never even occurred to her.

‘Hit a nerve, have I?’

‘No. I thought I was going to die – that’s what I wanted.’

He rolled his eyes at this and scowled at her.

‘I just can’t make you out, Leveret. You’ve got everything you could ever wish for. Your life is so easy, so comfortable – why would you want to end it? No, you might have hoodwinked Mother and everyone else but you can’t fool me. This was carefully planned and orchestrated – the act of a clever but completely selfish teenager.’

She was silent at his words and he sat forward to bring himself closer to her. His slanted eyes were beginning to darken with anger.

‘If you could’ve seen the state of Mother when Clip came and found her in the Village that night … I’ll
never
forgive you for putting her through that.’

‘I’m so sorry about that,’ she whispered. ‘But I thought she didn’t love me anymore so I didn’t think it’d matter to her if I passed on to the Otherworld.’

He laughed harshly, his eyes cold.

‘Don’t be so stupid! You know full well she loves you. You’ve always been the special one – perhaps even her favourite, which is why Sweyn and Gefrin have always resented you.’

Leveret frowned at this – surely not?

‘You were just trying to manipulate her and everybody else and it’s worked, which is what makes me so furious,’ continued Yul. ‘Everybody might be fooled but be assured, Leveret, I’m not. I know your game, and if you ever,
ever
do anything like that again, I’ll make you wish you’d never been born. Do you understand?’

‘Yes,’ she nodded. ‘I swear to you I won’t.’

Yul got out of his chair in one fluid motion and she shrank back, not knowing what he was going to do. She used to feel safe with Yul but she certainly didn’t now. He was taut as a bowstring ready to be released, pent up with suppressed energy and anger; he was very frightening. But he strode into the kitchen and brought back the bottle of mead, refilling his glass and gazing into the fire. She sat quietly so as not to antagonise him.

His face in profile was so powerful, the nose and cheekbones perfectly carved, jaw and brow strong. His mouth was drawn into a line of bitter tension and Leveret wondered if once again she were taking the brunt of his anger over something entirely different. She noticed his long, square-tipped fingers drumming on the side of the chair impatiently and then he looked up at her, his grey eyes full of something wild and driven. She found it impossible to look away.

‘You’re to work very hard at school too. I’ll see all your books and all your marks every week. Any slacking and you’ll stay at the Hall again so I can make bloody sure you study.’

‘Yes, I promise I’ll work really hard.’

‘And you’ll help Mother in the house too. I expect you to do a lot of the work. She should be slowing down a bit and taking it easier now, and you can ease the burden for her. Have you noticed how old she’s looking? How tired? There’s grey in her hair and lines on her face that weren’t there until very recently, and that’s your doing. So make sure you take the pressure off her by doing the housework, fetching the water, cooking and tending the vegetables. Is that clear?’

‘Yes Yul, I’ll help her as much as I can.’

‘Hmmn.’

He poured himself another glass and drank it steadily, his boot tapping on the hearth.

‘You were once a really sweet little girl, Leveret, and I loved you.’

His use of the past tense cut her to the quick. He stared at her again, his eyes boring into her.

‘You’re not anymore. Somewhere along the line you’ve turned into a selfish, lazy and heartless young woman. I suppose it’s in your genes – your father’s nastiness had to come out some time. You remind me of him, the way you’ve upset Mother, and that’s why I’m determined to crush this self-centredness out of you.’

Leveret could think of nothing to say to this; she hated to be reminded of her father’s cruelty. She’d heard enough about him to know he’d been a terrible man and the last thing she wanted was to turn out like him.

‘Well? Say something!’

‘I’ll try hard not to be like him. I’m very sorry, Yul, really I am, for everything. I’m turning over a new leaf.’

‘You’d damn well better be. And another thing – Mother says you won’t go down to the Barn to join in the festivities. Why is that?’

She shrugged uncomfortably.

‘I … I didn’t feel well enough.’

‘Rubbish! You ate some harmless mushrooms. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you at all.’

He poured the last of the mead into his glass and examined it, staring at the gold liquid.

‘Do you know what I think, Leveret? I think you’re embarrassed to go and face everyone after what you did. But I think a bit of humiliation is just what you need. So you’ll join in everything from now on – I insist.’

She gazed at him mournfully but nodded her obedience, having no real choice. He drained the glass suddenly in one gulp and turned to smile at her. His eyes were still dark but not quite so intense and focused any more. His smile made her go cold – it was a smile without any warmth, a cruel smile. Leveret felt she was looking at a stranger.

‘I’m pleased we had the chance to talk alone,’ he said, standing up. He swayed ever so slightly but quickly righted himself. ‘Remember what I’ve said. I expect you to be perfect and if you’re not, I’ll deal with you personally.’

He opened the door and breathed deeply of the cold air outside, then turned and fixed her once more with his steely glare.

‘Bright blessings at Yule, little sister.’

T
he next day Leveret walked up to the Hall to see Magpie, very nervous about leaving her sanctuary and facing everyone. As she stomped down the lane, she realised she had a choice now, a significant one. She could skulk around as if she were embarrassed and ashamed, or she could take control of her situation and brazen it out. So she made her decision and felt much better for it. She met several people along the way but smiled and greeted them as if nothing had happened, and apart from a few stares, people were fine. In the Hall a group of older girls were standing in the entrance hall pulling on gloves and hats. They fell silent as she walked in and she felt awkward, feeling their eyes on her.

‘Blessings, Leveret,’ said one.

‘Blessings,’ she replied, smiling brightly at the whole group. It felt strange; normally she kept her head down and never looked people in the eye, wanting to avoid unnecessary contact. There was a pause whilst they all watched her.

‘We … we heard about what happened,’ said Iris, the elder of Kestrel’s two sisters and Leveret nodded. ‘You must’ve been feeling awful to have done that. Was it very frightening?’

‘No, not really frightening. I was just so unhappy I wasn’t thinking straight, I suppose. But it’s in the past now.’

‘Yes of course. I expect you just want to forget it ever happened.’

‘That’s right.’

‘Well, we’re sorry anyway. If you’re feeling down again don’t bottle it up, will you? There’s always someone to talk to if you need it.’

Leveret looked at them in astonishment and blushed with pleasure at the kind words.

‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I’ll remember that.’

Magpie, still in the hospital wing, was doing very well. He sat in a chair by the window with a sketch pad and pencils, drawing the rooks flying around like bits of black ash in the grey skies. His smile was radiant when he saw Leveret and he leapt up, scattering pencils, and engulfed her in a great hug. She hugged him back and for the first time it was a pleasant experience; he didn’t smell horrible and she wasn’t worried about catching head lice.

‘You’re looking wonderful, Magpie. Let me see what you’re drawing? That’s fantastic!’

Her praise was genuine for he was a truly talented artist. Using just soft graphite pencils he’d captured the wintry scene perfectly. The rooks were exquisite, as if he truly understood rooks and what made them rooks rather than starlings or blackbirds or crows. He’d captured their essence in the way they flew, the angle of their wings, the way they positioned themselves in the sky. She could almost hear them calling.

‘You’re such a good artist, Magpie. We must make sure you get the chance to develop it, now your life’s all new and exciting. Who gave you the sketch pad and pencils?’

Using their special way of communicating, Magpie let Leveret know that it was Hazel and that she’d promised him paints too. She held his hand and looked at him and the image of the doctor came into her mind in minute detail, down to the cut of her blond hair and the pattern of the cable stitch on her pink woollen jumper. She also got a sense of Hazel’s kindness and concern, which Magpie had obviously picked up. The image of the paints wasn’t quite so vivid as Magpie’s knowledge and experience of these was smaller, but she saw a framed picture very close up with oil paint daubed thickly and guessed that was what he meant.

‘Hazel’s promised you oil paints?’

Magpie nodded happily and squeezed her hand. More than anything she sensed his exhilaration and joy at being free from daily fear and physical abuse. They sat together for a while, Leveret still marvelling at how he’d changed so quickly. She’d always known he was a sweet person from when they’d first met in the Nursery as tiny toddlers. She’d sensed the goodness in his soul even then, seen beyond the revolting, mute boy who could manage very little and made such a fool of himself all the time. Now maybe others would see it too and he’d have a proper place in Stonewylde’s society. Just as long as she could keep Jay away from him, but she had plans to protect Magpie.

While he continued drawing rooks, Leveret took a small pair of scissors from her pocket and showed them to him.

‘You know about scissors, Magpie. I want to cut a little tiny piece of your hair. See? I’ll do it to myself first and it doesn’t hurt. Now a piece of Maggy’s hair.’

To her relief he allowed her to snip off a lock of his golden brown hair, which she carefully wrapped and put in her pocket. That was the first part – but there was lots more to be done. She was just about to leave when Swift came in, looking as surprised to see her as she was to see him. They stared at each other.

‘What do you want?’ she asked finally.

He raised his eyebrows at this, looking down at her and enjoying the sensation. As he was a fairly small youth, looking down on someone else was quite rare.

‘That’s not very friendly, Leveret,’ he said smoothly. ‘I just came to visit Magpie and see how he’s getting on.’

‘He’s fine, no thanks to your mate Jay.’

‘Nor to you! Jay may have been hard on him but I gather you actually tried to kill him.’

She flushed at this and looked away. Swift took the sketch pad from Magpie, who’d stopped drawing and was gazing up at them both in consternation.

‘Very good, Magpie! Clever boy!’

‘Don’t talk to him like a dog – he’s not stupid.’

‘Really? Sorry, I didn’t realise.’