like, rather than me. She didn't think I was good enough to be friends with a Merriweather. Problem was, nobody left in Winter was good enough. Anyone with any pretensions had got out before or soon after the mills closed. Mrs. M was one of the few who'd stayed, and she'd paid the price, not only in the loss of her sole income, but also in her loss of friends. Sometimes, I actually felt sorry for her.
We continued past her door, but didn't get far.
"Didn't you say friends ?" Mrs. M called. "Who else is here, Jane?"
Jane grabbed Ben's arm and pulled him after her. "I'll explain later, Gran."
"Jane? Jane? Miss Jane Amanda Merriweather, get back here!"
Jane pointed at a closed door. "Leave your bag in the corridor," she said to Ben. "I'll prepare the room while you go and do whatever you need to do. There are tools in the old stable block. Kate, put your stuff in my room."
"Jane!" screeched Mrs. M. She had an amazing set of lungs on her for a frail old thing.
"Coming." Jane opened her Gran's door and slipped inside. I heard their murmured voices, but not the actual words.
I was left alone with Ben, staring at the shut door. "Is she in trouble for bringing me here?" he asked.
"I'm sure Mrs. M just needs time to get used to the idea."
"Is she always like that to her granddaughter?"
"Yeah," I said softly. "The worse her health gets, the worse she treats Jane."
"That doesn't seem fair."
"No, it's not. But who's going to stop her? Jane could, but she won't leave. Her Gran is all she's got, and Jane's all Mrs. M has got. They need each other, in a weird way."
He gave a grim nod. "It can be nice to have someone." His gaze flicked to me then away.
He strode off down the corridor, back the way we'd come. I had to run to catch up.
"I'll take you to the stables," I said.
We went back out the front door and rounded the side of the house. Ben stopped before we'd got too far and looked up at the external wall. "These vines will do a lot of damage if they're not removed."
"And who's going to remove them?"
"Couldn't the town organize a working party?"
"Mrs. M wouldn't have anything to do with it. She believes in paying people to do her bidding, which is one thing I admire about her. If there's no money to pay, it's up to family, and Jane's her only family..."
"That's a lot on Jane's shoulders. I suppose she'll inherit this place?"
"What will be left of it by then. I think old Mrs. M will live forever."
"That may not be a bad thing. At least Jane'll have someone for a while yet."
That was the second time he'd mentioned family with wistfulness in his voice. He'd already said he had no siblings, and I was beginning to think he also had no living parents.
"The old stables are this way," I said.
We followed the drive past the side of the house to the stable block. He helped me open one of the creaky old doors. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dimness inside. The windows were so filthy that hardly any light could get through.
"Isn't anything locked around here?" he asked, walking straight in.
"Nobody steals anything in Winter."
"Why not? Your local cop a real badass?"
Dad was so far from badass that I laughed. "No. I guess there's just nothing in town worth stealing."
He fought his way through a low-hanging cobweb while I stayed back. No way was I walking into that thing. What if the occupants were still living in it?
"I don't know where the tools are," I called out. He'd disappeared down the back where large wheels and an old cart loomed out of the darkness.
"You should come down here," he said. "There's some amazing old stuff."
"There's a huge cobweb in the way."
He emerged from the shadows, a smile on his lips. "It's not an impenetrable force field."
He poked a finger into the web. It shook, but didn't break.
"It looks horrible. Can you see any spiders?"
"No. It's probably abandoned."
"I'm not sure I want to take the chance."
He held his hand out low, beneath the web. "Let me help you."
"I
We continued past her door, but didn't get far.
"Didn't you say friends ?" Mrs. M called. "Who else is here, Jane?"
Jane grabbed Ben's arm and pulled him after her. "I'll explain later, Gran."
"Jane? Jane? Miss Jane Amanda Merriweather, get back here!"
Jane pointed at a closed door. "Leave your bag in the corridor," she said to Ben. "I'll prepare the room while you go and do whatever you need to do. There are tools in the old stable block. Kate, put your stuff in my room."
"Jane!" screeched Mrs. M. She had an amazing set of lungs on her for a frail old thing.
"Coming." Jane opened her Gran's door and slipped inside. I heard their murmured voices, but not the actual words.
I was left alone with Ben, staring at the shut door. "Is she in trouble for bringing me here?" he asked.
"I'm sure Mrs. M just needs time to get used to the idea."
"Is she always like that to her granddaughter?"
"Yeah," I said softly. "The worse her health gets, the worse she treats Jane."
"That doesn't seem fair."
"No, it's not. But who's going to stop her? Jane could, but she won't leave. Her Gran is all she's got, and Jane's all Mrs. M has got. They need each other, in a weird way."
He gave a grim nod. "It can be nice to have someone." His gaze flicked to me then away.
He strode off down the corridor, back the way we'd come. I had to run to catch up.
"I'll take you to the stables," I said.
We went back out the front door and rounded the side of the house. Ben stopped before we'd got too far and looked up at the external wall. "These vines will do a lot of damage if they're not removed."
"And who's going to remove them?"
"Couldn't the town organize a working party?"
"Mrs. M wouldn't have anything to do with it. She believes in paying people to do her bidding, which is one thing I admire about her. If there's no money to pay, it's up to family, and Jane's her only family..."
"That's a lot on Jane's shoulders. I suppose she'll inherit this place?"
"What will be left of it by then. I think old Mrs. M will live forever."
"That may not be a bad thing. At least Jane'll have someone for a while yet."
That was the second time he'd mentioned family with wistfulness in his voice. He'd already said he had no siblings, and I was beginning to think he also had no living parents.
"The old stables are this way," I said.
We followed the drive past the side of the house to the stable block. He helped me open one of the creaky old doors. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dimness inside. The windows were so filthy that hardly any light could get through.
"Isn't anything locked around here?" he asked, walking straight in.
"Nobody steals anything in Winter."
"Why not? Your local cop a real badass?"
Dad was so far from badass that I laughed. "No. I guess there's just nothing in town worth stealing."
He fought his way through a low-hanging cobweb while I stayed back. No way was I walking into that thing. What if the occupants were still living in it?
"I don't know where the tools are," I called out. He'd disappeared down the back where large wheels and an old cart loomed out of the darkness.
"You should come down here," he said. "There's some amazing old stuff."
"There's a huge cobweb in the way."
He emerged from the shadows, a smile on his lips. "It's not an impenetrable force field."
He poked a finger into the web. It shook, but didn't break.
"It looks horrible. Can you see any spiders?"
"No. It's probably abandoned."
"I'm not sure I want to take the chance."
He held his hand out low, beneath the web. "Let me help you."
"I
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