Beneath Read Free Page B

give it to you on your birthday, but I forgot. I’m too old to wear jewellery any more and I always meant it to go to you.” Ellen fastened it round Jess’s neck. “There. Now you look ready to celebrate the harvest.”
    “Thank you.” Pink with pleasure, Jess hugged her grandmother.
    “Off you go then, all of you. I want to hear all about it tomorrow.”
     
    “Jess!” Freya called from halfway up the hall, her bright blue dress standing out clearly from the duller clothes of the people around her.
    She came over, her eyes instantly drawn to Jess’s new necklace.
    “That’s lovely,” she said. “Was it a birthday present?”
    Jess nodded. “From Gran.”
    “It’s beautiful,” Freya said, then spoiled the moment by adding, “But you should have had a new dress to go with it.”
    With an exasperated sigh, Jess followed her over to get something to eat.
    “Anyway, never mind about the dress, no one else will notice. I’ve got a surprise for you,” Freya continued.
    “What?”
    “Turn round and you’ll see.”
    Jess turned and found that someone was standing right behind her. Someone so tall that she was staring at his chest. She looked up.
    “Magnus!” She hugged him, then took a step back to look into his blue eyes. “My goodness, I’ll get a crick in my neck. You’ve grown a whole foot since the last time I saw you. When did you get here?”
    “This afternoon,” Magnus replied, laughing. “And Freya hasn’t stopped talking since.”
    Freya gave his dark blond hair a yank.
    “Ow!”
    “Behave yourself, cousin. Just because you’re a city boy now doesn’t mean you’re allowed to be rude about your country relations.”
    “I bet she’s been talking to you about clothes,” said Jess with an evil smile.
    “Yes. And boys.”
    Freya was scarlet. “Oh stop it.” She drew herself up and tried to look dignified. “I was hoping you were both mature enough by now to have stopped ganging up on me, but obviously you’re not.”
    Magnus howled with laughter. “Why would we stop? It’s much too entertaining watching you rise to it every single time.”
    Freya tossed her head and flounced off.
    “Oh dear,” said Jess remorsefully, watching her back recede.
    “She’ll forget to be angry in about two minutes,” said Magnus, looking around at the crowd of people gathered in the hall. “I miss this place, you know.”
    Magnus was a year older than Freya and Jess and, until two years ago, had lived just outside Kirriemuir. The three of them had been good friends growing up, but Jess had lost touch with Magnus a bit since he moved with his parents to Dundee.
    The fiddlers struck up and Magnus dragged Jess off to dance a reel, despite her protests. After a minute Freya whirled past them with one of her admirers, hair flying and eyes shining, her good humour evidently restored.
     
    Later in the evening, Jess, Freya and Magnus sat on the parapet of the bridge, letting the fresh air cool their sweaty skin. It was stiflingly hot in the hall now; when the people of Kirriemuir got together to enjoy themselves, they did it wholeheartedly.
    “I heard about Donald,” Magnus said. “I can’t believe they didn’t find any trace of him at all. It’s like that other boy last year.”
    “Aidan,” said Freya.
    Magnus nodded. “What do you think happened?”
    “Jess’s grandmother said something about him drowning in Roseroot Pool, but that can’t be right or they’d have found… him,” Freya said.
    “She didn’t say drowned. I’m not really sure
what
she meant,” Jess pointed out.
    “Most people seem to think a rogue wolf must have taken him,” said Freya. “There have been a few around since midsummer – there was another hunt about a month ago and they killed four – but there were no tracks or blood when he went missing… No one knows anything, really.”
    “Have you decided yet if you want to stay in Dundee?” Jess asked Magnus, wanting to change the subject.
    There was enough