Daniel felt partially reassured because Owen hadn’t gone out with the others without inviting him, but who was this newcomer? Owen didn’t take up with people, or even show an interest in them, unless there was something to be gained from the experience.
‘You’d better call him tomorrow evening,’ Lily said, and put down the phone.
Daniel had stared at the receiver for a moment. He’d felt excluded and weirdly excited. Departures from routine in Little Moor were big events.
When he got home from school on Monday, Louis called to him from his study. ‘Daniel, have you got a minute?’
Daniel slouched in the doorway. ‘What is it?’
Louis suppressed the desire to say ‘Stand up straight, boy!’ and forced a smile. ‘I was wondering whether you’d pop over to the cottage and ask the Winters if they could come to dinner Wednesday night.’
Daniel could not prevent a ferocious blush coming to his face. ‘Lily and Owen? Why?’
‘Well, I’m inviting the Eagers over, and I thought it would be nice if all our friends could get together.’ If Louis had hoped the invitation would please Daniel, it seemed he was to be disappointed. The boy looked mortified. So, the olive branch extended from one generation to another was not to be appreciated. No doubt Daniel thought his father would embarrass him in front of the twins. Or perhaps he balked at exposing them to Verity. ‘What’s up, Daniel? Not ashamed of your old Dad, are you?’ The jocularity, Louis knew, sounded strained. He felt it sounded as if he was pleading.
‘No, no,’ Daniel said hastily. ‘I’m just surprised, that’s all.’
Louis turned round slowly in his chair, wincing as a limb shrieked in pain. ‘Look, lad. We’ve been here in Little Moor long enough.’ He paused. ‘Shut the door and come in, will you.’
Frowning a little, Daniel did so. He was worried about what his father might come out with, but held his tongue.
‘It’s like this. Verity’s shut away in this old place, or else gossiping with the old women in the village. All I ever do is go to The White House and see the Eagers. You, of all us, have made more friends around here. I just want to open the house up a bit. Inviting our friends round is just a start. We haven’t had any formal visitors here since we moved in.’
‘What does Vez think about this?’ Daniel wondered, in fact, whether his father had yet informed her about the arrangements.
‘Well, you know Vez!’ Louis laughed loudly. ‘She’s not that keen on Owen, we both know that, but I hope she’ll get on with the sister. Barbara thinks Lily’s a lovely girl. Vez could do with a friend more her own age.’
Daniel could not imagine Lily Winter and his sister becoming friends. He himself knew little of Lily, but she seemed to be an insular person, who shared Verity’s unsociable habits. There were no girlfriends that he knew of, and the only social life she had was with her brother. Lily made no move to speak to Owen’s friends. Bobby and others rarely visited the cottage and never stayed more than a few minutes. Daniel himself had never set foot inside the place. ‘Lily’s a bit of a loner as well,’ he said.
‘Well, I know she gets on all right with Barbara,’ Louis said. ‘Anyway, we can only ask her and Owen if they want to come. What do you think?’
Daniel could not voice his thoughts. He imagined a horrible scenario around the dining table: Owen, sarcastic and awkward; Lily silent and staring at her plate; Verity a glowering presence at the head of the table; Barbara and Louis talking too brightly and loudly; Barney looking completely out of place. And himself? Daniel would sit there squirming, desperate for the dreadful meal to be over. He knew, without a doubt, that Owen would accept the invitation. Then he remembered he hadn’t seen Owen the day before. At least now he had an excuse to visit the cottage and find out whether Owen was annoyed with him or not. ‘Well, to be honest, Dad, I don’t know how everyone will mix. It might be a bit... I dunno, weird. But I’ll ask Lily and Owen if you want me to.’
‘Good lad!’ Louis smiled sadly to himself for a moment and then said, ‘You are happy here, Daniel, aren’t you?’
‘Yeah. Course. It’s a bit quiet, but well, Owen takes us out to clubs and stuff. It’s not too far from the towns here, is it?’ He realised, the moment he saw his father’s smile, that this proposed dinner party was very important to Louis. It was easy to forget that for Louis, it must sometimes seem as if his life had ended in the crash. Daniel felt a sentimental wave of affection for his father sweep over him. Louis was a good parent; he never put restrictions on Daniel’s behaviour, virtually let him have his own flat in the house, gave him money without question. In comparison with the parents of some of his friends at school, Louis was a saint.
As if he’d been reading Daniel’s mind, Louis said, ‘You know you can always have friends from school to stay for the weekend, don’t you?’
‘Yeah, I know.’ Daniel shrugged. ‘I don’t think they’d be into it much, though.’
‘Oh well, never mind.’
‘I’ll just get changed,’ Daniel said, ‘then I’ll go over to the cottage. OK?’
‘Fine, fine. Tell them to come over about seven-thirty.’
‘Will do.’
Daniel actually felt very nervous of visiting the cottage. It was unknown territory to him, and he knew that his arrival there would be an invasion, if only in Lily’s eyes. He was perplexed with himself as to why he was so desperate to see Owen now, and discover if something had happened to their friendship without him knowing it.
There was music coming from the cottage as Daniel approached it. The parlour windows were open. He could even hear Lily’s voice, singing. The back door was also open. Daniel knocked on it. This elicited no response, so he half ventured over the threshold and called out, ‘Hello?’ He could see the kitchen was a mess, plates and cups everywhere.
Owen appeared from a door at the back of the kitchen. ‘Daniel!’ His surprise provided Daniel with the image of Owen totally without artifice. It was as if he’d been caught without his mask on, a mask he’d worn all the time in Daniel’s company before.
‘Hi... Sorry to barge in. I’ve got a message for you.’
‘No, it’s OK, come in.’
The volume of the music went down in the other room, and Lily’s voice came, ‘O, who is it?’
‘Daniel,’ Owen answered.
Daniel stepped into the kitchen, and Lily put her head around the parlour door. The look she directed at him was almost malevolent. Her face was flushed, even slightly damp, her hair in disarray. Perhaps she’d been dancing. ‘Oh. Hello,’ she said, and then shut the door again. The music came on once more.
Owen was dressed in black jeans, with a white shirt that hung open. ‘Coffee?’ he enquired.
‘Yeah, thanks.’
‘Sit down. You look as if you’re about to be tortured to death!’ The sarcasm was back, the mask securely in place. ‘So what’s this mysterious message?’
Daniel sighed. ‘Well, Dad’s got this idea to get me and my friends together with him and the Eagers. He’s invited you and Lily to dinner on Wednesday night.’ Daniel rolled his eyes to indicate the preposterousness of parental behaviour. He didn’t want to show how much he wanted Owen to accept the idea.
‘Really! And what does your lovely sister think of this?’
‘Who cares!’ Daniel said, more harshly than he’d intended. ‘There’ll be free booze and food. We can eat with them and go up to my rooms after, if you like.’
Owen shrugged and pulled a face. ‘Yeah, OK, sounds all right. I’ll ask Lily.’
‘Do you think she’ll come?’
Owen smiled. ‘Yeah. She’s not as scary as you think she is.’
‘I don’t think she’s scary.’ Daniel felt the familiar unwelcome heat rise to his face.
‘Well, you ask her, then!’
‘No! I...’
‘Go on!’ Owen opened the parlour door and shouted his sister’s name over the music. She came to stand in the doorway, arms folded. Daniel thought she look
ed angry, somehow wild, and not at all approachable.
‘Daniel wants to ask you something,’ Owen said.
Lily directed a hot glance at Daniel. ‘What? What do you want to ask me?’
Daniel could barely speak. ‘Um... to come to dinner at ours on Wednesday night.’
Lily burst out laughing. ‘My God! Are you serious?’
Daniel nodded, face aflame. He could tell Owen was enjoying his humiliation. ‘It’s my Dad’s idea,’ he added, thinking how pathetic that sounded once the words were out.
‘Oh, Daddy’s idea!’ Lily said. Then she seemed to sober up and sauntered into the room. ‘We’re not high society, Daniel Cranton. What’s brought this on? Does your father want to inspect us, or something, decide whether Owen’s a suitable chum for his little boy?’
‘No,’ Daniel said. Her remarks annoyed him enough to fight back a little. ‘He’s just being friendly. He’s like that. The Eagers are coming too.’
Lily rolled her eyes and laughed again, though less abrasively. ‘Jesus, what a gathering!’
‘There you are, Lil’,’ Owen said, ‘you can talk to Babs Baby about your writing.’
‘I’ve written one paragraph,’ Lily said. ‘There’s nothing to talk about yet.’ She smiled at Daniel. ‘Will it be posh food and everything?’
Daniel nodded. ‘Yeah, I expect so. Wine and stuff.’
‘Oooh!’ Lily grinned at Owen. ‘What do you think?’
He pantomimed an extravagant bow. ‘I would be happy to escort you, my lady.’
‘OK,’ said Lily, ‘we’ll come.’
Daniel had not imagined it would be so easy. Perhaps he had misjudged Lily after all. She was prickly, yes, but nowhere near as bad as Verity.
Lily sat down beside Daniel at the table. For a few moments, she stared at him intently, which Daniel could not interpret. ‘You’re very good-looking,’ she said after a while.
Daniel felt as if the foundations of the cottage had cracked beneath his chair. Totally unable to cope with this remark, he blushed ever more furiously and mumbled something incoherent.
‘Don’t be embarrassed,’ Lily said. ‘That was a compliment.’ There was something feverish about the girl, a suppressed sense of excitement. Daniel did not flatter himself that he, or his invitation, was responsible for her mood.
‘Er... thank you.’
‘That’s why I get jealous when Owen disappears with you on Friday nights.’
‘Lil, shut up,’ Owen said.
Daniel wondered whether he could leave the cottage immediately without causing offence. No matter what he’d said to Owen, Lily was scary. He’d just never imagined what kind of scary it would be.
‘Just a joke,’ Lily said. She grinned. ‘Thanks for the invitation, anyway. I’m looking forward to intruding on Os private territory.’
‘Ignore her,’ Owen said. ‘She’s just winding you up.’
Lily jumped up and pushed her brother affectionately in the chest. ‘Get lost!’ She danced, literally, back into the parlour.
Owen shook his head and grinned ruefully. ‘Don’t mind her, Daniel. That was Lily actually being nice to you.’
‘It’s OK.’ Daniel accepted the mug Owen handed to him. It was sticky on the outside, and had clearly not seen washing-up liquid for considerable time. ‘I called you yesterday.’
‘Oh, did you?’ Owen seemed bland, which Daniel took as suspicious.
‘Yeah, Lily said you were out. I had a boring day.’
‘Sorry to deprive you of my company.’ Owen paused, as if considering something. ‘I’ve met this weird guy. Interesting person, but what he’s doing here in Little Moor, God only knows. We went out yesterday. I showed him some of the sights; the woods and stuff.’
‘Oh. Right. How long’s he staying?’
Owen shrugged. ‘Don’t know. Perhaps you should meet him.’
Daniel dreaded a newcomer being invited to the Friday night ceremonies at the High Place. He saw himself, debased. The dread must have shown in his face.
‘There’s nothing to worry about, Daniel.’ Owen extended a hand, his fingers brushing Daniel’s jaw.
Daniel flinched. Owen had never touched him before.
Monday evenings were quiet at The White House. While Barney carefully polished glasses behind the bar (had he always done that so much? Barbara wondered), Barbara asked Peverel Othman if he’d like to accompany her on a walk over the hills. She had to exercise the dogs.
Othman had been considering going round to the Winters’ cottage again, but in the light of certain ideas and thoughts he was incubating, decided to wait a while. A walk with Barbara, however, might prove fruitful.
Barbara, remembering the previous evening with Othman in the kitchen at the hotel, felt as nervous and fluttery as a teenager to be out alone with him. Would he make a pass at her? As they strolled down Green Lane towards the stile that marked the public footpath across the hills, she chattered on in a girlish fashion, but Othman only nodded and smiled at her; he seemed preoccupied. Courteously, he helped her over the stile, and a ragged banner of crows lifted from the copse in the middle of the field beyond. The sky was bloody in the west. Dark came on them swiftly.
‘How long have you lived here in Little Moor?’ Othman asked, interrupting a description Barbara was giving of some of her innovations in the village.
‘Oh — er — not that long, a year or so. Why?’ Barbara had noticed the rather pointed end of the question.
‘I’m interested in local history. Wondered how much you knew about the place.’
‘Oh, I’m very interested in it, too!’ Barbara revved herself up for the discussion. ‘I’m sure there’s a wealth of history associated with Little Moor. Not least, to do with that rather sinister looking pile over there.’ She pointed to the right, where the baroque turrets of Long Eden ranked silent and watchful against the sky. ‘That’s where the local gentry used to live, but for some reason, they closed up the house and left the village about twenty years ago.’ She laughed. ‘Dark secrets, no doubt.’
‘Tell me about it.’
‘There’s little to tell, really. The villagers either don’t know, or won’t divulge, much about the family. They had a fabulous name: the Murkasters. A suitable title for dark and deadly deeds! When I first came here, I wanted to know all about them, of course. I was looking for inspiration for my work. The impression I got was that people resented them for moving away — felt abandoned, I suppose. The Murkasters must have donated a lot to the community at one time. There’s a hall in the village used as an old people’s centre, that they built. And there’s the local library. Admittedly it’s tiny, but it has a back room stuffed full of quite rare books that I believe came from the Murkasters. There are also some alms-houses, which again the family had built. It’s all a bit shadowy, but I think there’s some kind of trust, which allows for older people in the village to live in the alms-houses for free. I hope the fund doesn’t run out. That would certainly put the lid on it for the Murkasters as far as the people here are concerned!’
‘The Murkasters seem to have been altruists, then. I wonder why they moved away?’
‘Well, it’s fun to think of mysterious reasons, but I suspect it was a case of the younger members of the family wanting a little more life than could be offered by Little Moor. I expect they have property all over the place, or something.’
‘Were they titled?’
‘I don’t think so. There might have been an ‘honourable’ somewhere along the line.’
Othman had stopped walking, standing to stare at Long Eden. ‘Can we go over and have a look?’
‘Isn’t it a bit too dark, now?’ Barbara felt nervous of venturing beneath the night-shadow of the house. Also, she was not certain whether there was a caretaker around or not. There might be dogs patrolling. She hated the thought of being run off the place as a trespasser. ‘We could take a walk up tomorrow afternoon, if you like.’ She could see Othman smiling at her through the darkness.
‘Barbara! I believe you’re scared!’ He took her arm, an electrifying sensation. ‘Come along, I won’t let anything hurt you.’
Barbara allowed him to lead her in the direction of the house. It was ridiculous. He must be at least twenty-five years her junior, yet she felt so much younger than him. She realised this situation might have its benefits. ‘I’m not scared. It’s just that we might be trespassing. I can’t believe they haven’t got any security around the place. Won’t it look suspicious creeping up on the place by night?’
‘The place looks deserted!’ Othman argued. ‘Come on. Be adventurous.’
Barbara relented. ‘Well, all right. Just for a little while.’ She called to the dogs, who appeared happy to follow them.
They had to climb through a dilapidated fence that marked the boundary of Long Eden’s grounds. There had once been a wall, but much of it had crumbled, to be replaced by the makeshift wooden panels. That indicated a decline in fortune, perhaps. The Murkasters might not have been able to keep the place up, which had prompted them to move away. But in that case, why hadn’t they sold the property?
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