Shadows at Stonewylde (38 page)

Coats were taken and put into a side room for later. People hung around in small groups eyeing the central stone-flagged area that was clearly a dance floor, and the bales of straw, upturned logs and wooden benches dotted around for seating. Those Stonewylders who attended college began to mingle, shouting welcomes over the music, taking their friends to get drinks from the bar. And so the first ever Outsiders’ Dance began.

Leveret hid behind the food tables in terror. She was one of the youngest there; no one from her year-group had yet visited the Outside World and wouldn’t until February. She was aghast at the sight of so many unfamiliar faces. Growing up in a closed community meant that every single person she ever saw was known and recognised. Their clothes were so strange, so completely different. Even though the Stonewylders who went to college wore Outside clothes sometimes, theirs were fairly ordinary, everyday outfits. But most of these visitors wore incredible, bizarre party things. Leveret couldn’t understand why some of the girls’ shoes were so contorted. How could they possibly walk when their feet were tilted and crushed like that? And the makeup – it was as if they’d painted themselves to act in a drama. She stood and gawped in pure disbelief.

Kestrel was acting as the host, feeling responsible for the evening. It had been his idea in the first place and Yul had warned him that should anything go wrong, he’d be held responsible and the event would never be repeated. But rather than worrying about it Kestrel was revelling in his role, loving being at the centre of attention and the leader of the event. He’d rejected Outside clothes and decided to make a feature of his difference, being smart enough to realise that to Outsiders he must seem rather exotic. He wore the traditional festival clothes: narrow black linen trousers, black leather Stonewylde boots with their unique shape, and a flowing white shirt of the finest material.

Kestrel looked devastatingly handsome with his hazelnut-brown hair and laughing blue eyes and every girl in the place was aware of him. Leveret was no exception. She’d located him and now watched him carefully; he was the sort of person impossible to ignore and was doing the rounds, ensuring all the visitors had drinks and food. Leveret shrunk into the shadows as a group approached the food table she hid behind. She slipped off to one side in case she’d have to serve anyone, not wanting any contact with the strangers.

As she stood huddled by the wall, her eyes wide with curiosity and shyness, Swift spotted her and came over. Although she still was unsure about him she was relieved to talk to someone familiar

‘I didn’t recognise you, Leveret,’ he said, standing close enough that he didn’t have to shout. ‘What a transformation!’

She gave him a sideways look and smiled slightly.

‘You’ll turn a few heads tonight, I expect,’ he continued.

‘Hardly, with all these amazing Outsiders – they’re the head-turners.’

‘Only to those who haven’t seen them before. They’re quite familiar to the Stonewylde college people and even I recognise a lot of them from my visits.’

‘Will you be going on to college next autumn?’ she asked.

‘Without a doubt, and probably to university too like Kestrel.’

‘He’s leaving then next year?’ Her heart sank although she’d always known it was likely; he was one of the highest fliers of his year group.

‘Yes – Kes is very clever. And what about you, Leveret – what are your plans? I know you’re a high achiever too.’

She grimaced and shook her head, and Swift was quite fascinated by the delicacy of her jaw and neck, the plane of her cheekbones. Leveret had spent her entire life hiding behind the mass of dark curls. Whoever would’ve thought there was a real beauty, invisible up until now, dwelling in their midst.

‘I don’t ever want to leave Stonewylde,’ she replied and he laughed.

‘You’ll change your mind once you’ve visited the Outside World – we all do.’

They stood quietly for a while watching the groups of people laughing and shouting over the music, drinking and eating. A few had started dancing already, including Kestrel.

‘Just look at Kes!’ mused Swift. ‘He’s in his element. He’s got the girls lined up and waiting for him tonight as ever.’

Leveret swallowed at this. She knew she wasn’t alone in wanting him.

‘He’s very popular,’ she agreed.

‘Too right! He could have any girl he wanted in this place tonight, and no exaggeration, he’s probably had at least half of them already. He’s been working his way through the Stonewylde girls, picking them off as they turn sixteen. And then there’re all the college girls too. He’ll have a challenge when he gets to university though. Even Kestrel couldn’t manage that many, though he’d love to die trying.’

Leveret couldn’t bear to hear talk like this – Kestrel was popular but not so promiscuous, surely? Her throat felt tight with jealousy at the thought of him with so many girls.

‘Let’s go and get a drink, Leveret – come on.’

Not allowing any refusal, he took her arm and tugged her away from the safety of the shadows right out into the open where the coloured lights played brightly. Leveret was terrified, her mouth dry and hands trembling. She walked beside Swift with a straight back, her head high and not daring to look around or catch anyone’s eye, just like a stiff-legged cat self-consciously picking its way along a high, exposed wall. She knew people were looking at her, lots of people, and she shook with terror. She’d been right all along – she was ridiculous, hideous, the ugly, skinny bitch her brothers had always told her she was, the ugliest, most boyish, girl in Stonewylde.

‘Hey, Swift! Who’s this? I don’t think … Sacred Mother! It’s our Leveret!’

Kestrel stood before them smiling incredulously. He was sheened slightly with perspiration from dancing which merely accentuated his good looks. His eyes were alight with fun; they’d been sparkling with pleasure and now widened in sheer surprise. He removed Swift’s hand from Leveret’s sleeve and turned her around slowly, looking her up and down. Then he gazed into her face, tilted her chin and swivelled her head slightly to see her profile. He grinned and she felt the full blast of his charm.

‘I just don’t believe it! What happened to you? Where’s my grubby little girl with the mop of curls and the scowl?’

Leveret smiled shyly, lowering her eyes and then glancing up at him through her lashes, completely unaware of just how exquisitely alluring that was. She could think of nothing remotely intelligent to say so kept quiet.

‘Exactly how old are you?’ he asked, glancing at the silver Huntress’ bow hung on the scarlet ribbon around her throat.

‘Fourteen,’ she replied. ‘Fifteen at Imbolc.’

‘Pity,’ he smiled, chucking her cheek with a gentle finger. ‘But you’ll be worth waiting for.’

Then he was off and back on the dance floor with the girls he’d been with, whilst Leveret practically glided on wings after Swift to the bar, tingling with wild joy.

Sylvie stood by Yul’s side watching the party warm up. More people were dancing now, the food plundered but by no means finished as Stonewylde feasts were always abundant. She hadn’t wanted to come to the event but Yul had insisted. They were the hosts and should at least make an appearance although he realised the last thing their young guests wanted was to make polite conversation with adults. Sylvie stood sipping a glass of cordial and felt all her sensibilities recoil from the scene around her. The sight of the garish Outside clothes and make-up, the overt sexual display in the dancing and music all brought back memories of her visits to Yul at his university, when she’d had to endure such events.

Sylvie remembered the curiosity and hostility she’d encountered when meeting Yul’s peer group. She’d attended an agricultural college in Dorset which enabled her to return home frequently as her health and allergies had always been a concern. Yul, however, after sailing through his exams with amazing grades for someone who’d only learned to read and write at sixteen, had gone to one of the big city universities. Clip and Miranda, practically the only ones at Stonewylde who knew about education in the Outside World, had been sure that broadening his horizons was what Yul needed most, before returning fulltime to Stonewylde. They didn’t want him getting restless in the future or feeling he’d missed out on anything the Outside World had to offer.

So Yul had spent three years at an enormous, busy university where he’d encountered a life completely and utterly alien to anything in his world. He’d missed Stonewylde terribly and Sylvie in particular, and had loved nothing better than coming home in the holidays. But he’d also had a great time, soaking up all the place had to offer socially and culturally as well as academically, and had clamoured for more. He was very popular amongst his peers although Sylvie knew he’d been faithful to her whilst he was away studying. She trusted him absolutely for he was passionately and obsessively in love with her. It had been hard for her letting him go like that as her small agricultural college was a far cry from his huge and exciting university; not that she’d ever wished to go somewhere like that herself.

During the term time he frequently asked her to come and spend the weekend with him, wanting her to meet all his new acquaintances and see his new lifestyle. Sylvie was very reluctant, knowing she’d be an object of curiosity. She understood that his peers were keen to see the cause of his fidelity and devotion; his faithfulness to her certainly wasn’t from lack of interest amongst the girls there. When she’d visited he’d been so proud of her, showing her off to his wide circle of friends, not understanding their lack of enthusiasm towards her. To them she was the boring girl from home, unsophisticated and old-fashioned in her tastes. Nobody could understand what on earth the exotic and exciting Yul saw in her.

Sylvie glanced at him now as he drained a tankard of cider, his throat moving as he tipped back his head and swallowed. Like Kestrel he too was wearing traditional Stonewylde clothes which accentuated his long powerful legs and slim waist, the breadth of his shoulders and chest. Despite the recent events she felt a familiar pulse of desire for him which she quickly squashed. That terrible night when he’d forced himself on her so roughly was still fresh in her mind and imprinted on her body. She bruised as easily as ever and the marks from his rough, grasping hands were still visible, livid against her white skin. She’d had to be careful the girls didn’t see such graphic evidence of their father’s new brutality.

‘Doesn’t Leveret look beautiful?’ she said, watching the girl as she stood apart sipping a glass of dark liquid.

‘Where? I haven’t seen her yet.’

She pointed towards the slim girl with her elegant hairstyle and svelte dress.

‘That’s Leveret?’ he gaped. ‘I didn’t recognise her! Goddess, she looks so different. Who’d have thought it? I’ll have to watch her with the boys – see the attention she’s attracting? Do you think she even realises?’

‘Probably not – I don’t think she’s interested in boys yet. It’s so good to see her looking happier now.’

‘Yes, she got exactly what she wanted and Mother’s eating out of her hand … but let’s not talk about her now. I think I’ve sorted Leveret out and she won’t be playing up again. Do you want another drink?’

‘No thanks, I’ve had enough.’

She watched him go to the bar for a refill.

And so have you
, she thought to herself.

Leveret refused to join in the dancing despite being asked by several people. She loved to dance at the festivals to the wild drums and she loved to jig to the fiddles and flutes, but this was different and she didn’t feel comfortable with it. So she stood and watched, sipping elderberry wine and only talking when people joined her for a conversation. She was quite enjoying herself, basking in the compliments and praise, but most of all in the elation that Kestrel’s interest had inspired. She remembered the Dark Moon outside and her elation turned to a tingle of excitement as she thought of her planned ritual on the Green. Soon she’d slip away unnoticed; it’d be good to get out from this noise and heat too.

She’d managed to avoid her brothers and Jay so far although they’d spent some time standing across the barn from her staring, whispering together and clearly discussing her. She felt the waves of hostility emanating from them, especially from Jay who seemed unable to take his bulging blue eyes off her. She moved closer to one of the exits, knowing her cloak was on a peg nearby and thinking maybe this was a good time to collect her bag from under the yew tree and get started. She’d no idea of the time but knew she must perform the spell before midnight, for this was the time of the Dark Moon and after midnight it’d be tomorrow.

Leveret was near the door and the pegs when suddenly she saw the three youths heading her way, like large henchmen closing in on their victim. Maizie and most of the adults had already left but she tried to move back into the safety of the crowds. She was too late – they surrounded her and her brothers positioned themselves on either side of her, each taking an arm and holding her tightly.

‘Well, well, fancy seeing you here!’ giggled Gefrin, squeezing her upper arm hard.

‘Mind my dress!’ she hissed. ‘Mother made it.’

Sweyn jabbed her sharply in the back.

‘Don’t start getting uppity, Leveret,’ he growled. ‘You know where that leads.’

Jay stood in front of her, towering hugely and sweating profusely. He reeked of cider, as did the others.