Part 10 (2/2)

He opened the door to the stable block. In his big box at the end, Boxer stirred and stuck a sleepy but curious head out to look.

'Oh, neat. A horse.

Kevin dropped everything onto the tack table and went off to look. Boxer lowered his head and sniffed.

'Good job hes had a bath, muttered Thomas. 'You have no idea how snooty ex-racehorses can be.

'Wow, this is really cool. Whats his name?

'Boxer.

He reached a tentative hand and Boxer deigned to have his nose gently stroked.

Russell looked at me and wiggled his eyebrows. I had no idea what he was trying to say.

'Come on, Kevin. This way.

We climbed a rickety stair and he opened a door at the top and switched on a light. This must, once upon a time, have been the old feed store. It still retained a certain atmosphere, but being made of wood, it was warm.

'You can sleep here tonight. Theres a sleeping bag and a couple of extra blankets. Jenny has the pillows. Im sorry theres no bathroom. If you get caught short nip downstairs and pee in one of the buckets. You can blame it on Boxer.

He smiled, but it was a poor effort.

'Dont rush to get up in the morning. Come over when youre ready. You can use the bathroom and well give you breakfast.

He stopped.

Kevin was looking at him. I could see him thinking then what?

I was wondering that myself.

'OK, got everything you need?

He was unpacking his sad little carrier bag. There were a couple of grimy T-s.h.i.+rts which he carefully spread out to dry, three socks (hes a man, they can only do socks in odd numbers) and a battered Harry Potter with an old photo being used as a book mark. He put this on the floor and stood politely, waiting for us to go.

Russell seemed to be in another world again, so I pulled his sleeve.

'Oh, right. Good night then.

As we crossed the yard, I said, 'Russell, hes sleeping in an outbuilding on ... the floor.

'Hes dry, warm, fed, and safe. Its the best thing thats happened to him in weeks.

'What about tomorrow?

'Dont know, Jenny. Ill have to think about it. Ill drive you home.

I was glad to go. I was tired too.

It was well past midnight when we got back. I fumbled anxiously for my key. Russell walked with me to the door. Various lights came on as we walked up the path. Russell stopped and looked around us but said nothing.

I was too tired to ask.

Finally, he said in a whisper, 'Its very neat, isnt it?

I looked around with new eyes. After the shabby cheerfulness of Frogmorton, I suppose it was. Uncle Richard and Aunt Julia lived in a solid, respectable, detached house on the solid and respectable side of town and their property was immaculate. The extensive gardens, front and back, belonged to the conifer and heather style of horticulture, which means they required minimum maintenance, were always neat and looked exactly the same during all the seasons of the year dull.

We tiptoed up the path and Russell opened the door for me. 'Goodnight, future wife, and before I had time to worry about goodnight kisses, and with the unerring sense of timing that all men responsible for unwed females seem instinctively to possess, Uncle Richard appeared. He wore pyjamas and dressing gown and carried the local newspaper. He said nothing at all in a very meaningful way, but Russell remained unabashed.

'Good evening, Richard. Where was I? Oh, yes. Jenny, Ill pick you up at ten tomorrow. Dont be late lots to do, people to see and so on. Sleep well. He gave me an affectionate clap on the shoulder that made me stagger slightly and disappeared back down the path. I watched the lights flash on and off, marking his progress. His Land Rover started with a clatter and roared away into the night, leaving a sudden velvet silence.

Uncle Richard held the door for me. I remembered to keep the key.

'Uncle Richard, you didnt have to ... wait up for me, I said, feeling very guilty because if we hadnt been feeding and housing a potential member of the criminal cla.s.ses then I would have been home hours ago. Some instinct warned me not to mention Kevin.

He smiled slightly. 'I think youll find that waiting up for young female members of his family is in every fathers and every uncles job description. Come into the kitchen a minute, please. Ive left the milk on.

I sat at the table while he poured himself a cup of hot milk. I shook my head when he offered me some. It was a kind gesture and now didnt seem to be the time to point out Id lived here for twenty years and he still didnt know I hated milk.

He sat himself down opposite me.

Thomas yawned. 'Are we ever going to get to bed?

'Shh, I said, because if Uncle Richard stirred his milk any more hed go through the bottom of the cup. (There are no mugs in Aunt Julias house.) Clearly, he had something to say.

'She has your best interests at heart, you know, he began, finally laying the spoon down in the saucer.

In the quiet kitchen I could hear the pipes ticking as the heating system shut down for the night and the house bedded itself down.

I nodded.

'You must see that this has come as a tremendous shock to us. Especially since its that man ...

'Good old Russell Checkland. Causing trouble in the Kingdom household since he could walk.

I nodded.

'I want to ask you, quietly and away from any upsetting moments I have to ask Jenny, is he putting any sort of pressure on you to marry him? You can tell me.

I shook my head.

He looked down again. 'Are you pregnant?

Another head shake.

'Are you doing this of your own free will?

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