The Dead of Winter Read Free Page A

interesting, at least. His Christmas show was a massive hit. I think he’s hoping to get more inspiration.’
    Rina nodded. She’d been to the Palisades twice to see Tim perform over the Christmas period. The owners of the art-deco hotel had recently renovated the little theatre and removed a partition wall that had been erected sometime in the seventies, so the main dining room and theatre space again became one. It was now wonderful for cabaret, live music and table-to-table close-up magic, which Tim loved to perform. For Christmas, though, they had really set out to produce something spectacular, and Tim had reconstructed a version of Pepper’s Ghost, a Victorian illusion that set mystical beings dancing across the stage; and, in his version of an old set-piece called The Artist’s Dream, he’d co-opted one of the cabaret dancers to play the part of the ghostlike artist’s muse, visiting him while he slept. It had been a beautiful, charmingly old-fashioned interlude, and Rina had seen several of the audience dabbing their eyes.
    It had all been rather wonderful, Rina thought, and a fantastic contrast to the intimate close-up magic and mentalism that formed the remainder of his act. It was partly because of those performances that Tim had been invited here, to Aikensthorpe, for this event. Whatever this event actually was. Rina found she was still a little hazy about the details.
    â€˜OK, I’d better get these into the washing machine,’ Joy said.
    â€˜I’ll come down with you. We should talk to that Melissa woman, find out what exactly we’ve let ourselves in for this weekend. Is it my imagination, or has Tim been just a bit evasive about it all?’
    â€˜You know, I was thinking the exact same thing,’ Joy agreed. ‘It’s not like Tim. Usually, he’s blinding us with science or explaining everything in minutest detail.’
    â€˜Maybe he’s been sworn to secrecy,’ Rina joked. ‘Not giving away the magic secrets or something.’
    â€˜Hmm, more likely there’s something going on he thinks we won’t approve of,’ Joy said. ‘Or that would have made us both say no to him.’
    Rina looked at the younger woman in mild surprise. ‘You think it was really important to him that we both came, then?’
    â€˜You know, I think it was. I got the distinct impression he’d have cried off if we’d said no. Tim is one of the bravest people I have ever met, but for some reason he had reservations about coming here alone.’
    They found Melissa in the hallway arranging pamphlets and ticking things off on a very long list. She was only too pleased to break off and explain how the weekend would proceed.
    â€˜Right, well, first there are the full weekend guests – that’s you and Mr Brandon and about a dozen of the others – and then there are the people just coming over for the talks and lectures tomorrow, and then you full weekend guests will all be involved in the main event tomorrow evening. Then, of course, there’ll be the debriefing and film show on the Sunday. We’re likely to have a full house again for that, I’d have thought.’
    She had emphasized the words ‘main event’ and waved her hands, jazz style, just in case they might have missed the point, but had moved on to Sunday’s itinerary before Rina had the chance to ask her what the ‘main event’ actually was.
    â€˜What main event?’ Rina asked when Melissa paused for breath.
    Melissa didn’t seem to have heard. ‘We’re expecting two coaches tomorrow: about one hundred and thirty people, I believe. They’ll be arriving for breakfast and staying for all the talks and so on and then leaving just after dinner when, of course, we hand over to the re-enactors and you, few, special people.’ She giggled.
    Rina and Joy exchanged baffled glances.
    â€˜Special people?’ Joy