Eliza didn’t speak to me at breakfast. She left for work without saying goodbye. Quite honestly, I was glad to see the back of her. Now I could hide Kit’s ring away without her seeing. I couldn’t risk carrying it with me; I might lose it or get done as a thief. In the end, I chose our bed as the hiding place, stuffing the ring in an old stocking and sliding it under my side of our mattress. If Eliza did try to nick it, I’d be sure to wake up like a shot. Then I wound my shawl tight round my head and shoulders and set off to school.
It wasn’t snowing any more, but the sky was still grey and heavy, and the air so cold it woke me up and got me thinking. Not miserable thoughts about Pa; these were good ones all about Kit. For the first time in my life, I felt I’d been trusted with something proper important. I was glad of it, and proud, but it weighed on me too since I’d no idea how to help him. All I knew about Kit came from village gossip, which didn’t seem much use when I was trying to seek out a truth. What I needed was to get closer to the real Kit Barrington. That way I’d find out the facts.
The big question was how?
Frost Hollow Hall had locked front gates and people patrolling the grounds. Will Potter might know the place, but if my hazy memory of Sunday served me right, it wasn’t the most welcoming house in the world.
Not that I’d let that put me off. Kit was counting on me now, and it was such a stirring thought my spirits truly began to lift. I marched on, a person with a purpose. Though the snow was only a few inches deep, it made the whole world look different, like a spell had been cast over Frostcombe village, turning the cow byres and cottages into things of magic.
Then I saw Will Potter.
He was hanging a side of beef outside his pa’s shop. Two daft girls stood watching him, simpering and giggling as he played the idiot. When he saw me, he waved and called my name. The girls pulled faces and elbowed each other. I felt my cheeks grow hot. Putting my head down, I kept walking, all the while an idea growing in my head.
*
At school, I couldn’t focus on anything much. Nor could the pupils. The snow made them restless, which got the class teacher Miss Fletcher so rattled she was near to blowing her top. To cap it all, the stove wouldn’t stay lit, so by lunchtime it was too cold to even write properly. Poor Miss Fletcher had had enough. The class cheered when she told them they were being sent home. It was my place to stay behind and tidy the slates and put reading books back on the shelves. Though clearly today I wasn’t doing a very good job of it.
‘Go home, Tilly. Your mind’s elsewhere too,’ said Miss Fletcher, as she put on her coat. ‘But I’ll expect you bright and early tomorrow.’
‘Yes, miss!’
I rushed for the door. With three good hours of daylight left, I’d no intention of going home. I headed straight for the butcher’s shop.
*
Will was there, sweeping the floor. He looked at me coolly, taking in the snow on my skirts and the plaits coming loose at my shoulders. I fixed him with what I hoped was a meaningful stare.
‘I’ve been thinking about that dare of yours. You know, the one what wasn’t really a dare at all and I nearly . . .’
He held up his hand. ‘If you’ve come to give me another earful, then buzz off. I’m busy.’
I was taken aback. I’d pictured him still all sorry for himself, dying for a chance to be friends again. It irked me that he wasn’t.
‘That’s not why I’m here,’ I said, trying to hold my temper.
‘Oh? Well, you’re not here to be civil, clearly. You didn’t even say hello this morning.’
It wouldn’t do to fly at him now. ‘I want to go back to Frost Hollow Hall.’
‘You’re mad.’
Will turned his back and started sweeping again. I stayed put in the doorway. Eventually, he seemed to realise I wasn’t going away. ‘So what’s it got to do with me?’
‘You said there were places at the Hall even more daring to go to than the lake.’
‘So?’
My heart beat quick. ‘Now I’ve got a dare for you.’
‘Really?’
‘We have to go to Kit Barrington’s grave.’
He looked horrified.
‘Well? Will you come?’
He shook his head. ‘Not a chance!’
‘Why not?’
‘You know why. The Barringtons are important customers. We can’t afford to lose them. My pa’d kill me if he knew what we’d been up to. I reckon we got off lightly last time.’
‘You call what happened getting off lightly?’
‘I didn’t mean it like that.’
‘Of course,’ I said, flicking a plait over my shoulder, ‘you might just be scared.’
‘No, I’m not!’
‘Prove it.’
Will leaned on his broom and sighed. ‘Kit’s grave, Tilly? Really?’
The way he said it made my heart go even faster. ‘It’s one of them places you was talking about, in’t it?’
‘You wouldn’t want to get caught there,’ he said.
‘And d’you know how to get to it?’
‘I’ve an idea, yes.’
‘So will you show me?’
He puffed out his cheeks. ‘Heck, you really know how to pick a dare!’
‘You started it, remember,’ I said.
‘Does this mean we’re friends, then?’
It didn’t sound quite so bad now he’d said it. I nodded. ‘All right.’
He put down his broom and disappeared off to speak with his pa. He returned with his hat and coat.
‘I told him we was going for a nice cosy stroll,’ he said, grinning.
‘Is that so?’
He could think what he liked, just so long as he got us to Kit’s grave.
‘I’ve only got an hour, so let’s get cracking,’ Will said. ‘But I still think you’re mad.’