Beneath the Shadows (25 page)

‘Grace, I don't understand.' Ben was frowning, while the snow sprayed up against either side of the Land Rover as it ploughed down the hill. Bess leaned between the seats, her nose pressed onto Ben's shoulder. ‘Why are you so upset? What's going on?'

Grace gripped the front dashboard, steadying herself while willing him to go faster. ‘Do you remember Adam having a fling with Jenny while he lived here? Back when you were teenagers?'

Ben shook his head. ‘No, I don't – he was always with Claire, if anyone.'

Grace could see the lights of the schoolhouse getting closer. She concentrated on them, collecting all her energy together so she could use it to spring out of the Land Rover and run as fast as she could to get Millie.

‘Grace, talk to me,' Ben insisted, alarm plain on his face.
‘I don't understand – why are you so worried about Millie? She'll be fine, I promise – I know my family can be difficult, but I wouldn't have left her there if she was in danger.'

‘I know you wouldn't,' Grace said hastily as the car pulled onto the gravel drive. ‘I have to get Millie back first, and then I'll explain.' She opened the door before he'd even stopped, leapt out and ran towards the house.

As she neared the front door, she saw there weren't many lights on. She nearly barged right in, but at the last minute something told her to play it a little cooler, at least until she had Millie in her arms.

Ben came up behind her as she knocked. ‘Grace, what the hell –'

The door opened and Claire stood there. She looked worried. ‘Grace – are you all right? Ben told us you got stuck.'

‘Yes, thanks, I've come for Millie.' Grace was trying to act normally but she could tell it wasn't working. Her voice was strange – high-pitched and too rushed.

‘Right,' Claire said. ‘She's in the dining room, with Jenny.'

Headlights illuminated them all as another car roared onto the gravel. Grace looked to see Meredith climbing out of her four-wheel drive, and for once her face was a true picture of uncertainty. ‘Grace – I saw your car up there. Has something happened?'

‘I'm here for Millie,' Grace said. She turned back to Claire. ‘I'll just go and get her.' She headed inside without waiting for Claire's answer, aware of worried voices close behind her. Footsteps followed, but all she wanted was to find Millie.

The corridor was dim, only a halo of light shining through the crack of the closed dining-room door. She flung
the door open, rushing into the brightness of the room, praying that her fears were unfounded, and that she was only being foolish.

The room was empty.

Claire came in behind her, her curiosity edging towards concern as she took in the empty space. ‘They were just here … I'll go and find them.'

As Claire went back into the corridor, Ben and Meredith appeared. Ben looked confused, but Meredith regarded the room evenly.

‘Where are they?' Ben asked Grace.

She went across and gripped his arm. ‘We have to find Jenny,' she said, her panic increasing with every word. ‘I think she's taken Millie.'

Claire rejoined them. ‘They're not in the kitchen …' She registered what Grace was saying. ‘Why on earth would she take Millie?'

‘We need to find them quickly,' Grace shouted. ‘I can explain later. Where the hell have they gone?'

‘They can't have gone far.' Claire looked frightened now. ‘She hasn't got a car.'

‘Ben,' Meredith's voice was controlled and low, ‘I think you should take the monks' trod to the Leap, now, check she hasn't gone there.'

‘Why would she go to the Leap?' Claire asked, sounding totally confused. ‘It's pitch-black and snowing outside.'

But Ben took one look at his mother's face and sprinted into the hallway, with Grace right behind him. He raced through the front door, heading for his car. Grace rushed around to the passenger side, but he said, ‘No, Grace, I'm
just getting a torch. I have to go on foot.' As he spoke, Bess bounded out of the car and began springing at his heels.

‘I'm coming with you,' she insisted.

Ben slammed the door shut and came around to her, pulling her to face him. ‘Listen to me. I know the trod well. I'll be faster on my own.'

‘You don't have to wait for me,' she panted. ‘I'll keep up.'

‘Let's go then.' He was already dashing towards the path.

It was impossible to sprint through snow, but Grace was running as hard as she could, thankful that the outlines of the uneven flat stones were still just about visible. Ben jogged beside her, shining the torch to light their way. Bess was yapping, disappearing into the night and occasionally reappearing around them again, enjoying the unexpected exercise.

‘How much further?' she gasped.

‘We're nearly there,' Ben urged. ‘Come on.' And he quickened his pace, haring off into the darkness with Bess at his heels, the dog's barking becoming increasingly frenzied. Then Grace heard something ahead – a whimper that rapidly grew into a full-blown wail. ‘Millie,' she screamed as she fought past a thick bush of sharp, deadened twigs that scratched and tore at her hands and face.

She slammed into something solid that almost knocked her off her feet. She staggered backwards, recovering her balance, and saw that Ben was ahead of her, standing stock-still, his back to her.

She walked closer. ‘Ben?' She put a hand on his arm. He didn't move. Then the noise came again, and she looked past him.

In the silvery moonlight, she could make out a figure sitting in front of them, legs dangling over the edge of the drop ahead. In her arms, something was moving, and Grace knew straight away that it was Millie.

Without a second thought, she began to creep forward. Ben tried to pull her back, but she shook him off and kept going towards the ledge. She saw Bess had gone over to Jenny and was nudging her, but Jenny seemed mesmerised, staring out into the night, swaying gently back and forth.

Grace tiptoed slowly, keeping her eyes on Jenny all the time, terrified that she might cause her to startle. She was operating purely on instinct, knowing she couldn't stand back and do nothing.

She deliberately aimed for a point a few metres away. As she reached the edge, she tried not to look down, but her feet dislodged a pile of snow and it fell away into the hidden maw below. All Grace's senses screamed at her to get back, but she couldn't. Not yet.

Jenny's face was just visible, and she looked calm and dreamy – which was more terrifying to Grace than tears. Millie was crying and wriggling, and Jenny was patting her back absently, as though to pacify her.

‘Jenny?' Grace said softly into the night.

Jenny gave no response, just stared out towards nothingness. Millie didn't appear to hear Grace either, and kept squirming to be free.

Grace edged towards them. ‘Jenny?' she said when she was only a couple of metres away. ‘Millie is cold and frightened. She needs to go inside. May I take her?'

‘He moved on without a second thought …' Jenny said
abruptly. Her tone was eerily composed. Grace began to shuffle closer, not stopping until she could almost reach out and touch them.

‘I'm really sorry, Jenny,' she said. ‘I think we should talk about it. But first we need to get Millie inside where it's warm.'

Jenny looked up at Grace as though she had only just realised that someone was there. She frowned. ‘He married you.'

‘Yes.' Grace's voice shook. She had a flash of Adam's joyous face on their wedding day, and felt a tear slide down her cheek. ‘And then he vanished, Jenny. I lost him too – so did Millie. I understand exactly how you feel. And now I need your help. We have to get Millie out of the snow.'

Grace moved within range of them and held her arms out.
Give her to me
, she implored silently.

Millie suddenly seemed to realise that her mother was there. She screamed and pushed away from Jenny violently, trying to get to Grace. For a moment Jenny lost her hold on the child, caught unawares by Millie's unexpected movement, and Grace's terrified heart passed over a beat as she saw Millie rock backwards. She lunged forward to grab her daughter, feeling herself lose her own balance as she did so. She plucked Millie from Jenny's hands and willed herself upright, but it was too late, her momentum was forwards, they were going together. To right herself she needed to let go of Millie, so there was no hope, and they were tipping towards the edge. While panic ripped through her body, her mind began to accept the inevitable.
This is it, then
.

Strong hands grabbed her and pulled. She staggered backwards, regaining her balance. She looked to see that Ben
was behind her, his face deathly white. ‘Thank you,' she said, but he was staring beyond her.

Jenny had twisted to watch them, her expression unfathomable, but then she turned away and peered over the edge, as though thinking. Ben rushed across and gripped her under the arms, dragging her away from the drop. ‘Don't you dare,' he shouted.

Silence enveloped them. Then Jenny began to cry.

Grace stroked Millie's face, and found it was icy. Millie's wails were weakening now, to intermittent exhausted sobs. Something screeched overhead, but Grace didn't care what ghouls might emerge from the shadows tonight to chase her. Nothing was more frightening than how close she had come to losing Millie.

‘Grace,' Jenny gasped, ‘I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I only wanted to hold her for a little while …'

There was an ominous edge to Grace's next words. ‘What happened to Adam last year?'

Jenny froze, as though she'd been struck. ‘I have no idea – I didn't even realise he'd been living here until after he'd disappeared. Why would you ask me that?'

‘Because someone in your family knows the truth.'

Now Jenny's expression was one of utter confusion.

‘Why do you say that, Grace?' Ben cut in.

Grace had a very brief moment of hesitation. But the more she thought about it, the more she was convinced she was right. To hell with secrets and silence, she decided.

‘Because I think Adam was your half-brother.'

Ben and Jenny stared at Grace.

‘What the hell are you talking about?' Ben said eventually.

Grace felt with her free hand and pulled the newspaper article out of her pocket, brandishing it at them. ‘I was looking at this in the car while I was waiting for you, and I said to myself that Adam doesn't resemble this man at all – he looks more like your dad. It was only a casual thought, but something made me re-examine it. And the more I considered it, the more I felt it had the potential to explain a lot of things …'

Jenny was watching Grace intently, her eyes wide and wary, as though Grace were insane.

Ben got up, and held his hand out to his sister. ‘Look, let's go back to the house, get warm, then we can talk.'

They stumbled along in silence, Ben supporting Jenny
and using his free hand to shine the torch ahead. Grace followed, hugging Millie close as she concentrated on the path. Millie was quiet now, her face nestled into her mother's neck.

Finally, they saw the lights in the distance. As they got closer to the schoolhouse, Claire was waiting on the doorstep. She ran a hand over her face in relief as soon as she spotted them.

Grace didn't want to go inside. Instead, she headed towards Ben's car. Her fingers were closing on the handle when a voice hissed from the darkness behind her, ‘Why couldn't you just
leave
?'

The distant light from the schoolhouse cast a low glow on Meredith's face, and her eyes were furious, the hollows beneath them sunken furrows.

Grace was too livid to know where to start. ‘How
dare
you,' she replied, as Millie began snuffling against her shoulder.

Jenny caught up and grasped her mother's arm, spinning her around, flinging words in her face. ‘Is it true? Was Adam our
brother
?'

When Meredith didn't say anything, Jenny began to shake her. Ben pulled her away.

‘You made me think he didn't care rather than tell me the truth,' Jenny shouted, tears streaming down her face. ‘How could you?'

‘Jenny, you were a young girl, we didn't think –'

‘I LOVED him, Mum,' Jenny cut in. ‘It's been fourteen years, and nobody has ever made me feel like that since. And now I'm barren as well as alone …'

Grace flinched.

‘Jenny, this was your father's doing, not mine!' Meredith's voice turned pleading.

‘Don't you dare, Mum – you … you …'

‘Everybody,
stop
,' Claire demanded, her face distressed. ‘Come inside, Jenny.'

Jenny let Claire lead her away. When they had gone, Meredith threw her icy stare upon Grace again. ‘I have held this family together for longer than you've been alive … and you have just blown it apart. Are you satisfied now?'

Grace stood defiant before those glacial eyes. ‘I'm calling the police,' she said stonily. ‘And you can tell them exactly where my husband is … because I would bet both my life and Millie's that you know what happened.'

They glared at one another.

Ben came and pressed a hand against Grace's back. ‘Grace, let's go.'

She let him guide her to the car. He helped her in with Millie, then closed their door and walked around to the driver's side, saying, ‘Come on, Bess,' and letting the dog jump through into the back.

‘I'll go really slowly,' he said as he got in. ‘Just hold her tight in case we skid.'

They exchanged a tense look before he began to reverse. As the headlights swept around, Grace saw Meredith one last time, standing on her driveway, her posture as rigid as always, watching them leave.

They made their way in silence. The snow had lightened but continued to float down; the village was hushed and still. When Ben pulled up at the cottage, Grace tried
to persuade her legs to move, but she kept on sitting there.

‘Grace …?' Ben said gently. ‘Would you like to stay with me tonight?'

‘Yes please.' Relief flooded through her. ‘Thank you. I just need to get some things from inside for Millie. Can you come with us?'

‘Of course.' Ben switched off the car engine and came around to open the door for her. Millie's eyes were glazed and sleepy now, and Grace passed her to Ben while she climbed out, then he handed her straight back. ‘Stay, Bess,' he said, as the dog tried to jump out.

Inside the cottage, Grace snapped the light on as Ben asked, ‘What do you need?'

‘Can you get her pyjamas from the top drawer upstairs, and some nappies? I'll go and get her some food for morning.'

In the living room, she glanced at the packed cases and boxes. Only one more night, she told herself. She took some jars of food from the top of a box, using one hand to push them into a small bag while she held on to Millie. As she stood up, she thought she saw a flash of light in the darkness outside. She went over to the window and heard Bess's distant bark.

She peered harder through the glass, trying to force her vision to penetrate the black void.

‘Ben,' she called. ‘We're ready.'

She turned and jumped to find him standing right behind her.

‘I've got everything here,' he said, holding up the pile in
his hands. Then he registered the expression on her face as she looked wide-eyed over his shoulder.

‘Grace …?'

He swung around.

Meredith stood behind them.