box. The dial mechanism and the orb had all reappeared, too. The orb trembled benignly in the loosened grasp of the brass claws. Everything was as it should be.
The wind had eased and as Holly looked toward the orchard, the telltale white buds of spring sparkled against the night. Below her feet, the long grass was just as overgrown as it ever had been. Holly’s head snapped toward the house. Her bedroom window was in darkness, as was the whole house, minus one conservatory. The bedroom blind was rolled up but no figure looked down on her.
Holly snatched the orb from the dial and threw it urgently into the box as if holding it would burn her fingers. Taking the box with her, she ran through the grass, not stopping until she was back in the kitchen where she quickly turned the light on. A quick check confirmed that there was no baby equipment, no notepad on the table.
The tentacles of Holly’s living nightmare were slowly releasing their grip on her heart and her mind. Stepping more tentatively into the hallway, Holly checked both reception rooms before heading upstairs. Her bedroom was empty, her bed a writhing mess of bed linen just as she’d left it. The digital display on the clock read 3:21 AM .
Holly stripped out of her clothes, her jog pants still sodden from the wet grass. She crawled into the comfort of her bed and wrapped herself in her duvet. Unable to even begin to make sense of the last hour, Holly closed her eyes and closed down her mind. The sleep that previously evaded her came swiftly and mercifully.
3
T he ominous glow of the full moon had surrendered to the harsh spring sunlight by the time Holly was shocked into consciousness by someone banging on the front door. Jumping from her bed, she ignored the discarded clothes on the floor and grabbed her dressing gown. Her body ached all over as she made her way downstairs.
“Sorry, Billy, I must have slept in,” she apologized as she rubbed the last remnants of sleep from her eyes.
“Now, now, Mrs. Corrigan,” tutted Billy. “You can’t go answering the door in your slinky nightie when there are builders around. You’ll have my lads dropping hammers on their toes.”
“It’s an old dressing gown, Billy, and I think I’m more likely to frighten them off than anything else,” retorted Holly. She knew she must look a state but was silently grateful for Billy’s gallantry as she tried to scrape back her hair into some kind of order.
Billy’s mischievous smile dropped and his playful tone was replaced by one of concern. “Hey, what happened to your face?” he asked.
Holly leaned back and took a look at herself in the hallway mirror. The right side of her cheek was bruised and grazed. “It’s nothing,” Holly said in a robotic tone as the memory of her moonlit walkabout replayed in her mind for the first time since waking.
“If that man of yours has been knocking you about then we’ll be having serious words when he gets back,” Billy growled.
“Don’t be daft,” Holly said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m just a weak and feeble woman who can’t be trusted on her own. I tripped in the garden, that’s all.”
“Well, it sounds like it was a good idea of mine to send Jocelyn around. I knew you’d need looking after.”
Holly was in no mood for Billy’s usual banter, but if she didn’t appear her usual self, who knew who else he would be sending around to check on her.
“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, but yes, it was a very good idea. She’s a lovely lady,” replied Holly with a smile that was more genuine this time.
“You need to get out more, visit people.”
“Now if I promise I will, could you stop nagging and get on with your work?”
Billy saluted. “I aim to please. We should have the internal work finished by the end of the week, so if you want to start thinking about those bells and whistles you wanted to add, now would be a good time. After that, if there’s
The wind had eased and as Holly looked toward the orchard, the telltale white buds of spring sparkled against the night. Below her feet, the long grass was just as overgrown as it ever had been. Holly’s head snapped toward the house. Her bedroom window was in darkness, as was the whole house, minus one conservatory. The bedroom blind was rolled up but no figure looked down on her.
Holly snatched the orb from the dial and threw it urgently into the box as if holding it would burn her fingers. Taking the box with her, she ran through the grass, not stopping until she was back in the kitchen where she quickly turned the light on. A quick check confirmed that there was no baby equipment, no notepad on the table.
The tentacles of Holly’s living nightmare were slowly releasing their grip on her heart and her mind. Stepping more tentatively into the hallway, Holly checked both reception rooms before heading upstairs. Her bedroom was empty, her bed a writhing mess of bed linen just as she’d left it. The digital display on the clock read 3:21 AM .
Holly stripped out of her clothes, her jog pants still sodden from the wet grass. She crawled into the comfort of her bed and wrapped herself in her duvet. Unable to even begin to make sense of the last hour, Holly closed her eyes and closed down her mind. The sleep that previously evaded her came swiftly and mercifully.
3
T he ominous glow of the full moon had surrendered to the harsh spring sunlight by the time Holly was shocked into consciousness by someone banging on the front door. Jumping from her bed, she ignored the discarded clothes on the floor and grabbed her dressing gown. Her body ached all over as she made her way downstairs.
“Sorry, Billy, I must have slept in,” she apologized as she rubbed the last remnants of sleep from her eyes.
“Now, now, Mrs. Corrigan,” tutted Billy. “You can’t go answering the door in your slinky nightie when there are builders around. You’ll have my lads dropping hammers on their toes.”
“It’s an old dressing gown, Billy, and I think I’m more likely to frighten them off than anything else,” retorted Holly. She knew she must look a state but was silently grateful for Billy’s gallantry as she tried to scrape back her hair into some kind of order.
Billy’s mischievous smile dropped and his playful tone was replaced by one of concern. “Hey, what happened to your face?” he asked.
Holly leaned back and took a look at herself in the hallway mirror. The right side of her cheek was bruised and grazed. “It’s nothing,” Holly said in a robotic tone as the memory of her moonlit walkabout replayed in her mind for the first time since waking.
“If that man of yours has been knocking you about then we’ll be having serious words when he gets back,” Billy growled.
“Don’t be daft,” Holly said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m just a weak and feeble woman who can’t be trusted on her own. I tripped in the garden, that’s all.”
“Well, it sounds like it was a good idea of mine to send Jocelyn around. I knew you’d need looking after.”
Holly was in no mood for Billy’s usual banter, but if she didn’t appear her usual self, who knew who else he would be sending around to check on her.
“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, but yes, it was a very good idea. She’s a lovely lady,” replied Holly with a smile that was more genuine this time.
“You need to get out more, visit people.”
“Now if I promise I will, could you stop nagging and get on with your work?”
Billy saluted. “I aim to please. We should have the internal work finished by the end of the week, so if you want to start thinking about those bells and whistles you wanted to add, now would be a good time. After that, if there’s
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