Changing Seasons. Winter IV, part 2

Winter IV, part 2 “See Mary, I guess what I’m askin’ myself is what would you be thinkin’ bout this? Maddie’s lonely, and I kinda wouldn’t mind some company myself. Ain’t the love I felt for you, but what I’m wondrin’ is, should I settle for this? I’d be makin’ someone else real happy, just like you did me…” Old Tench paused. Maddie’s illness and absence from the scene had made him realise what it was that Maddie wanted, was almost angling for. Was that so wrong? “What do you think, Mary? What would you be sayin’?”
And he could have almost sworn that he heard a voice saying, “Go and ask Bess Preston about it.” Except that when he turned round there was no-one there. But the advice seemed good – so he acted on it. I ran. As hard and as fast as I could to the one person I knew I could rely on. “I thought I could trust people! I thought I was safe here!” The tears were running down my face. “I thought I’d found a home. And now…” And then my feelings really got the better of me. “Addie, I’m going to have to leave. And…” I couldn’t get the words out for the tears.
“Tell me what the problem is,” she said, incredibly gently.
“…And the letter said, Dear Mrs Hatter, Thank you very much for your information…They’re coming. This afternoon. To look for me. To take me away. How could Marcus do this? How could he tell her? He was the only one who knew where I came from. I thought he was my friend…”
My tears overflowed again. I had loved him and Annette and their children. Big and stupid mistake, obviously.
“I need to leave. Now. And they’re going to be hot on my heels.” Great Aunt Adelaide did that thing where it was like she was looking right through me, could see my hurt, my sense of betrayal.
“Don’t run from,” she said. “Run to. Run to the friends here who will shelter you, do love you. Bess Preston is here – go to her. Now. Quickly. She’s more than capable of thinking up a plan. Tell her the story – she knows what Maddie Hatter-nee-Portland is like. Ask her to hide you.” “You are loved and wanted here. This community will protect you. Trust me.” And a little ray of hope began to pierce the darkness. Great Aunt Adelaide was totally right. And I’ll say this for Bess – she was quick off the mark. Got my story as soon as I could pant it out. “The letter says they’re coming this afternoon? Right, we’ll hide you here. But we need to get everyone telling the same story. Thank goodness for Frank’s telephone system. Quick. Inside with you while I make some calls.” “Go use the bathroom and wash your face too while you’re at it.”
Bess was already talking as I went upstairs. Old Tench was there too, but I didn’t even say hello to him. I was so afraid, I could barely climb the stairs. And as Bess started telling Annette what was going on, his face changed as though he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. Except that Bess wouldn’t lie. And neither would I.
“…I don’t know what Marcus was thinking about, Annette, letting Maddie know where Clara came from, but we haven’t got much time. Here’s the plan…” Annette stared at the telephone in disbelief. Social services were coming for Clara? Today? Bess had a plan – but they hadn’t got much time. She needed to get hold of Marcus. Now. She’d settle for beating him up later on for telling Maddie about Clara. Patience was just Having A Few Words with Hope – “No. You threw your food everywhere, Hope. That’s naughty. You’re going back in your high chair. Sitting at the table is only for sensible children.” and Barnabas was looking incredibly virtuous – when the phone rang. “So. The story is, Clara is your sister. And Maddie is a delusional old bat – I mean, sorry, an elderly lady who might be on the fringes of developing Alzheimer’s. And Honey and Frank – we can’t tell them about this! – can just be the loving and well-meaning relatives who haven’t quite grasped what the rest of us can see quite clearly in Maddie. Or are in denial about it. They probably will be shocked by what Maddie’s done, so they won’t have to act that part.” “And why is Hope in her high chair and not in her booster seat?” Euan made his voice sound stern.
“She threw her food on the floor,” Patience said sternly. “Euan, we’ve got a problem…” Rafe and Leo had gone up to one of the upper floors to discuss what to do with the space there. What they were actually discussing now was the news that Amber and Lucie had brought up to them.
“So if we all keep saying, Clara was here, and then she said she was going on to…I reckon we can keep then driving round in circles,” Lucie said.
“Until they run out of gas,” Amber said vengefully. Rafe had never seen her so upset. “And then they can walk to Newborough to get some.” “No,” Rafe said, thinking about things a bit more calmly. “We want them out of here as soon as possible. But convinced that Maddie’s a liar. Until they’ll run out of gas unless they head for Newborough straight away.”
And Leo – his calm, level-headed brother – was furious. Leo didn’t lose his temper often, but when he did, it was a long time before he calmed down.
“How could anyone be so despicable? And how had she found out about Clara’s past? Who had told her? I want a few moments alone with him or her…”
Rafe exchanged looks with Amber and decided that they’d both just slip away quietly and let Lucie try and calm Leo down. If anyone could calm him down, it would be the self-contained Lucie. “Leo, it’s okay. We’ll all keep Clara safe. We won’t let anything happen to her.” Amber was pretty upset too, Rafe realised. They’d gone down to the floor below, to Lucie’s studio, and among Lucie’s sketches on the walls were Clara’s paintings too, done with such joy.
“We all know Clara had a past she was running away from.” Amber’s voice was choked. “But whatever it was, she’s turned her life round, found somewhere she feels safe, somewhere she can call home. We can’t let her lose it.”
Rafe looked at Amber’s evident distress: of all of them, Amber had probably known, or deduced, the most about Clara’s past. They’d talked a lot, and Amber could see further into people’s characters than most. It was part of what made her a good writer. He didn’t want Clara hurt – and he didn’t want his tender-hearted Amber hurt either. “It’s okay, it’s okay. We’ll sort this out. If I have to smuggle Clara out of here disguised as one of my sculptures, we won’t let anyone take her away.”
And Amber’s trembling body was safe within the circle of his arms. Strong arms, Amber realised. Strong and well-muscled from the sculpting, but also strong with protectiveness and …love? Then they got a bit distracted from the problem at hand… “Thanks, Luce. Thanks.” Leo felt his rage subsiding, felt Lucie’s calm presence pull him back to shore.
And then he looked at her face as he reached out to touch her cheek in gratitude and saw something there that Lucie normally kept well-hidden. “Luce. Lucie. Lucie, do you…could you…” She looked back at him, all her normal poise and reserve gone. “Lucie…” Words failed him again. Blow using words! Leo went for action instead, and the dusty, grubby room was suddenly the most beautiful place he had ever been. Because Lucie was kissing him back, answering the question he hadn’t managed to ask out loud. They’d come straight to Marcus and Annette’s house. No stopping at Minnie’s to ask the way. Maddie must have sent them a map as well. Annette’s heart was banging hard against her ribs as she answered the knock at the door. And Marcus didn’t much like what he was seeing through the window. “We’ve come for Clara Hayes. We know she’s here.” The sheer rudeness of it got Annette’s back up. Marcus was noticing how intimidating the man meant to be. Act like they’re being totally unreasonable. And threatening, Annette told herself. How would you react to a stranger saying this? Phone the police, of course, but that’s not possible. Indignant, I think. I wish we hadn’t sent Chris and Caleb over to warn I’ve-got-no-phone-yet Blake to say nothing. Angry, I think, Annette. That’s your tactic. And the boys will be back very soon.
“I don’t know who you are or where you’ve come from, but nobody turns up on my doorstep and says they’ve come to take my sister away!”
The man actually flinched at the fury in Annette’s eyes. Marcus put Sarah Jane down on the playroom rug and joined Annette outside. Closing the door firmly behind himself.
“What exactly do you mean by all this?” Gosh, this guy was big.
And there was Chris back, just in time. He wouldn’t have minded seeing Caleb as well, but the two of them were probably enough.
“Chris. This guy has just turned up and said he’s come to take Clara away.”
The menace in the air was suddenly palpable.
“Perhaps we should have presented our credentials first,” the woman said hastily.
“I am Mrs Hardside and this is my colleague, Mr Greystone. We are from Grisburg social services and…”
“Have we got a problem here, Marcus?” With Chris at his side, Marcus felt much happier. Annette could handle that old bat no problem. “I don’t care if you’re from the Emerald City of Oz!” Annette was on form. “You come here, demanding my sister, frightening my children, threatening their Aunty Clara…” “Tickla! Where Tickla?” Mary couldn’t have timed her yells better. “Want Tickla!”
Annette swallowed her amusement. Once Mary started yelling, nobody was going to be able to hear anything over her.
“It’s all right, darling. Aunty Clara will be back later.”
“So she’s out. Phone her and tell her to come back right now.”
“That would be difficult. There’s no phone signal here.” Marcus said that really mildly, but with great pleasure.
“What? Then where is she?” Gosh this old bat didn’t give up easily. “We have reason to believe you are harbouring a young person wanted by the police for questioning…” “I’m sorry, but this is still private property. We’re nowhere near ready to open the gallery yet. You’re at least a year too early. I’ll have to ask you to move your car off our property.” Leo’s plan was to wrong-foot them from the start. It worked. Mrs Hardside actually stammered a little. They’d learnt from their previous mistakes as well. She presented their credentials straight away. And played the ‘you are obliged to co-operate with us’ card. Heavily. “Rafe,” Leo said, as Rafe banged away with far more force and aggression than he normally used. “There are some people here claiming that Annette’s sister is actually a dangerous criminal wanted by the police in Grisburg.”
Which wasn’t quite what they’d said, but Leo wanted to make it sound as ridiculous as possible. “Really? How interesting.” This was the Rafe who had been feared in financial meetings for his intelligence and tenacity. And you’re just a thug, he thought, looking at Mr Greystone. Brought along to be muscle. I can take you down.
“And just what is this wild claim based on? I’m sorry, but this looks very fishy. You turn up with credentials that might well be forged for all I know, trying to get your hands on a seventeen-year-old girl…”
Behind Rafe’s back. Leo was playing good cop. They’d done this before… “I’m sure you can see how suspicious this looks. And we have no way at all of verifying your claims without driving into Newborough. I think we all – as a community – have a right to ask just what brought you here.”
“We are acting on information received,” Mrs Hardside said grudgingly. “Information received?” Amber said, coming into the room just in time to hear the last comment. “No-one here would make up lies like that, just to cause trouble. We’re all too busy for one thing, and not that stupid for another. Well, apart from Maddie Hatter of course, who doesn’t do anything and has a very tenuous grip on reality – Leo, I said to Honey that they should get the doctor to her, but she’s still not happy about doing that.”
The name had hit home, though Amber and Leo pretended not to notice. “They’re heading this way now.” For the moment, Bess had hidden Clara in the old attic room. “They’ve been to everyone, backwards and forwards across the place, and everyone’s told them the same story: you’re Annette’s sister and Maddie Hatter is a confirmed liar/losing her marbles/has a grudge against Marcus and Annette because she was in love with Old James Winter and he turned her down (that was Artie’s contribution). Now I get to see what I can add. And it will be a pleasure to put a spoke into her interfering wheel. I’ll take the ladder away when I’ve gone down it, you drop the hatch back into place, and no-one will know that you are here.” “Mind you keep clear of the window,” Bess added, as she headed down the ladder. Clara watched her go and got ready to put the hatch back into place. Old Tench was out there waiting for Bess. “I’m in with you on this,” he said grimly.
“You sure?” Only a few hours ago he had been saying that he thought Maddie had changed from the person they were at school with. “You know what I’m going to be saying.”
“Nothin’ but the truth. Ain’t no call for her to go doin’ that to Clara. That Clara, she never hurt no-one here, and helped plenty. Reckon as Maddie Hatter is still Maddie Portland under it all. Should’ve listened to Artie and I feel right shamed that she took me in. I’m with you.”