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Back The Whistling Save as PDF
Chapters (52)
  1. COVER
  2. About the Author
  3. DEDICATION
  4. EPIGRAPH
  5. Part One
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. Part Two
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. Part Three
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. Acknowledgements
  52. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

And as I climbed the stairs, the house was grotesque and fear began to whine inside me like an insect. I trusted nobody. From the drawer, I took more candles and placed them about the room. I could not face the dark and the things it hid. Already, I was shivering in anticipation of Hettie’s lullaby, but I wanted it to be over, wanted to hear her come and to hear her leave so that I could at least not have the agony of waiting.

So I sat in the chair, skin singing with fear, and I waited until the cold stung my hands and face and night turned to early morning. And still I waited, and even as I sat and heard only silence, I felt her outside my door, breathing quietly as she stood there, a gleam of malice in her dead eye, her intent as dark and malicious as anything I could envisage. But she never made herself heard. And in some way, it was not better. It was far worse.

28

I barely felt the cold as I dressed. It was the cold inside that occupied me, and the realization of how horrifying my life had become. Outside, Mrs Lenister stood at the jetty with her basket and my heart lifted.

‘It’s an icy one.’ She shivered dramatically in her coat, giving us a smile that creased on her inflamed cheeks and ended with a cough.

‘Are you well now, Mrs Lenister?’ And I was so relieved to see her face again that I could have wept with it.

‘Can’t complain. It’ll be good to be back. I was cared for at my sister’s, but her family do not have room for me there in all truth. Ah, let me get some fresh fish. You like a fish, Mary. And you, miss?’ The eyes that searched mine were concerned. ‘Are you well, Miss Swansome?’

‘I am well,’ I lied.

Mary wandered off, her braid and coat tails whipping up in the wind.

‘She does not seem better, poor thing,’ Mrs Lenister said, giving me a pitying look. ‘But I must get my catch. And we can’t trust Mrs Brodie to cook them properly, can we?’

I shook my head and gave a smile, but she did not smile back and there was in her eyes something beyond pleasure, a spark of concern.

When lessons began, I found my feet on the path to Bridget, but at the street I paused. What would I say about what I now believed? I knew Bridget would find it silly and suddenly I was making my way to Ailsa’s again.

I did not like her look of triumph. I took my place on the settle.

‘So soon?’ she said.

‘The dead,’ I said. ‘They can return, can’t they? They can walk outside a room or turn on a corridor. They can speak.’