A Spell of Snow Read Free Page A

I… um, I got
the bus, and then I got lost.’
         ‘Caught the wrong
bus, you mean?’
         I nodded;
unwilling to reveal the truth. ‘And then I heard the horse, and she led me to
your son.’
         Edie nodded. ‘Well
I can’t tell you how glad I am that you did, dearie, because I doubt Ben
would’ve found him the way things are out there right now. Will there be anyone
worrying about you – looking for you?
         ‘There’s my aunt,
but –’
         ‘Poor woman,
she’ll be worried sick. Well, there’s nothing we can do tonight I’m afraid. You’ll
stay with us, and we’ll see how the weather is tomorrow.’
         There was a bang
as the front door shut and then a tall, sturdy man, his clothing covered in
snow, entered the room, bringing an icy blast with him.
         ‘Moll’s in the
stable, is Edward…?’ He asked, and then stopped as he spotted the figure on the
sofa.
         ‘He’s all right,’
Edie said quickly. ‘He took a tumble and cracked a few ribs, but Tilly here
found Moll and rescued him.’
         ‘I’m sorry, Da,’
Edward said in a voice tinged with pain. ‘I didn’t expect the snow to come on
so badly, so fast.’
         ‘Aye well, I’m
that relieved to see you I’ll let you off,’ Ben said gruffly, and then turned
to me. ‘We’re much obliged, love. But what on earth were you doing out on your
own in this weather?’
         I didn’t need to
respond, as Edie, Ruby, Vera and Tom were all too happy to fill him in on my
status as a temporarily lost girl. I was glad to stay silent; my eyes kept
trying to close and I felt as if I could sleep for a week. What was more, I
couldn’t rid myself of the sense that everything was somehow completely
surreal.
         ‘So where does
your aunt live?’ Ben asked.
         ‘In Nimbury, in
Jackson Street.’
         ‘You talk funny,’
Tom said suddenly.
         ‘I’m Australian,’
I said, immediately on the defensive. They were the ones who talked funny as
far as I was concerned. None of them sounded right.
         ‘You’re a long way
from home, then,’ Ben said. ‘Well, you can share our Ruby’s bed tonight, and
we’ll just take tomorrow as it comes.’
         ‘Take her
upstairs, Ruby,’ Edie said, as I struggled to keep my eyes open. ‘She’s dead on
her feet, poor love.’
         I was glad to
follow Ruby up the stairs, but I could barely put one foot in front of another,
and I couldn’t work out why Ruby was carrying an oil lamp. My brain seemed to
be wrapped in cotton wool; nothing made sense, but I didn’t have the energy to
work it out.
         The odd feeling
increased as Ruby led me into a small, icy bedroom into which two beds had been
squeezed, leaving little room for much else. She put down the oil lamp and
opened a battered chest of drawers, from which she drew a thick cotton
nightgown. ‘You can borrow this,’ she said. I took the garment numbly and sat
on the edge of the lumpy bed, watching in bemusement as she lit a candle stub
with a match.
         ‘You look awful,’
she said, staring at me. ‘You’d better get into bed and get warm.’ When she
left the room a moment later, taking the oil lamp with her, I shivered, and not
just with cold. Had there been a power cut because of the blizzard?
         I undressed
quickly and donned the scratchy nightgown, plunging beneath the covers as
quickly as I could. Then I took another look at my mobile phone. The time read
10.10, but there was still no signal. I thrust it under my pillow and closed my
eyes at last.
     
    ‘Come on, sleepyhead,’ said a cheery voice beside me, and I
woke with a start, staring up with a complete lack of recognition at the woman
standing over the bed. ‘I think you badly needed that sleep,’ Edie said, while
the previous night’s events rushed back into my mind. ‘I don’t know how you managed
not to wake while the others were getting up, but what about