The Cat Next Door Read Online Free PDF

to witness it.
    Who was it?
    What should she do? She shrank from tiptoeing down the hallway, listening at each door. Suppose someone came along and caught her? And if she did find out who was crying – what then? Burst in and offer a shoulder? Presumably, anyone who had given way to those heart-wrenching sobs had done so at this hour because it seemed safe with no one around to hear them.
    But her own heart twisted. It seemed inhuman to listen to such pain and not try to do something to alleviate it. On the other hand, any attempt might seem an intrusion into the other person’s privacy. Family or not, everyone had the right to their own space. Perhaps especially family.
    Frozen with indecision, Margot tightened her arms around Tikki. He gave a small protesting mew, so soft as to be almost inaudible, as though he, too, recognised the need for secrecy. He twisted around so that he was looking over her shoulder and his whole body tensed.
    Margot swung around, but there was no one behind her. Or nothing. Gravity suddenly tugged at her knees, her back, her arms, every ligament in her face and body. The old enemy, more overpowering and debilitating than jet lag, fought for control once more.
    There was no question now of hunting down the broken-hearted or even carrying the cat down the stairs to put him out. She had all she could do to remain upright.
    She was suddenly afraid that, if she didn’t get back to her room and lie down, she would fall down. It would be too humiliating to be found lying in the hallway by the first member of the family to be up and heading for the bathroom in the morning. They had enough to
worry about right now without worrying about her, too.
    She turned and, leaning against the wall, slowly began making her way back to her room. Tikki stared up at her with sudden concern.
    â€˜It’s all right, Tikki,’ she whispered. ‘I’ll put you out of the window instead. You can make your own way down, can’t you?’
    A fresh paroxysm of slightly louder sobs was torn from the anguished throat somewhere in the darkness. Margot halted, guilt-ridden at her inability to help, repelled by her inability to throw off the exhaustion. Perhaps, if she hadn’t had jet lag to contend with as well as the other weakness …
    Still, it seemed as though she ought to be able to do something. She closed her eyes, swaying, her grip on Tikki loosened.
    His cold wet nose touched the tip of her chin. She opened her eyes to find him looking at her reassuringly.
    Leave it to me, he seemed to say, just before he leaped to the floor and darted off down the hallway. She started after him, but he was too fast for her. He turned a corner and she heard him bound down the three steps to the lower level of the bedroom floor. She almost thought she heard the faint creak of a protesting door hinge.
    The dizziness tried to claim her again and she stopped and turned back towards her own room.
    As she closed the door behind her, she was aware of silence. The crying had stopped …

Chapter Four
    Margot awoke in the morning with a deceptive feeling of well-being. After the restless beginning to the night, she had slept deeply and dreamlessly. Her energy, such as it was, was restored. If she guarded it carefully, it might see her through the day. When she glanced at her watch, she saw that the day wasn’t going to be such a long one. It was eleven thirty already. Jet lag strikes again!
    She wasn’t the only one. Christa was seated at the dining-room table. The cup of coffee was obviously not her first, a used plate had been pushed aside and she was working on something in her sketchpad with a charcoal stick and pastels.
    â€˜Brunch …’ She waved a careless hand towards the array of covered chafing dishes on the sideboard as Margot entered. ‘Help yourself to plenty, there won’t be another meal until dinner. Nan thought this would be easiest, with everyone keeping different hours.