You can read the story so far from the beginning here
“I wish that there was something more that I could do,” Alison said.
“I’m grateful for the company,” Hilary said. “It seems a little empty here at the moment.” She looked around the kitchen. Bracken was peeling potatoes, sitting at the kitchen table opposite Paul who was busy slicing carrots, ready for a large batch of beef casserole to stash in the freezer. “I’ll be glad when they get safely back. Who knows what they’ll find when they’re looking for the stones.”
Alison gave the plate a last polish and slid it into its place in the cupboard. “The weather is awful. But I suppose I understand that they needed to move quickly.” She shook out the tea towel and picked up a damp cloth. “I should have brought the yarn for my next knitting project. I’ve finished one sweater, but I want to get another one done before Christmas.”
“That’s a bit ambitious, isn’t it?” Hilary asked, glad of a different topic of conversation. She added pepper to the handful of flour in the plastic bag with some dried parsley and thyme. “There’s a lot of knitting in a sweater.” She slid the bag into a bowl, folded back the edges to keep it open, then added a large tray of diced beef. “And Christmas is only a few days away.” She closed the bag and then shook it vigorously, coating the meat with flavoured flour.
“Normally it’s just me at home at night,” Alison said. “Once the boys are asleep and everything’s cleared up, I like to sit for an hour or so, just in the quiet with my knitting. I get loads done.” She wiped carefully around the sink. “And it’s just a straightforward kid’s sweater. There’s not a lot to it.”
Hilary glanced over at the table. The vegetables were almost ready for the casserole. “Could you fill up the kettles and perhaps get some mugs out,” she said. “They can’t be much longer.”
“We could get the soup out right this minute,” Bracken said. “It tastes much realer if it is heated on the stove and not in that microwave.”
Paul looked up. “Too late,” he said. “I think that I can hear them.”
“Thank goodness they’re back.” Hilary rushed to the window. “It’s been hours!”
***
Tom took a large mouthful of soup and sighed in pleasure. “It feels so good to be in the warm,” he said, accepting another roll from Hilary.
Magnus nodded. “It’s bitter out there.” He pushed his empty bowl away. “I’m glad we’re out of it.”
“The weather isn’t entirely normal,” Cabus said dryly. “It’s December, and some cold rain could be expected but there’s a bite in the wind that isn’t natural.”
Samgan nodded, smiling at Bracken as she refilled his bowl. “It felt harder to walk through the weather than one should anticipate,” he said. “It felt malicious.”
Magnus helped himself to another warm roll. “That makes sense,” he said. “I was considering going back when I was in fur. The rain was stinging.”
“How did you do?” Hilary asked anxiously. “Did you find all of the stones?”
Cabus took a tiny sip of his hot tea and sighed in pleasure. “Coming back into this welcoming warmth is extremely pleasant.” He looked over to Tom. “You have the notes.”
Tom checked his phone. “According to what we worked out, we’ve found maybe 80% of the stones that need moving. I suggest that Magnus and I go back in daylight, while we’ve got paws, and have a sniff around.”
“I can manage in daylight, as long as no-one expects too much from me,” Cabus said. “I can take notes.” He looked across the table. “And Samgan would be useful if he could also be there.”
“It will be a pleasure to accompany you if you think that I would be an asset to the work,” Samgan said.
Cabus nodded seriously. “I’m not at my best during sunlit hours, so I won’t be as aware of what’s around us. Tom and Magnus will be concentrating on finding the remaining stones and I’ll be logging the search. That means that we need someone with us who can keep a lookout for problems.”
“That is a sensible proposition,” Samgan said.
“I suggest that we start in the middle of the afternoon,” Cabus said. “It means that I’m slightly more functional, and it allows Tom to set up things at the Village Stores before leaving.”
Tom glanced up at the clock. “It’s barely 10pm, but I’m ready for bed. I think I’ll get an early night.”
“And me,” Alison said.
“Paul, before everyone turns in, please can you take Alison back to her house and pick up her knitting.” Hilary smiled over at Alison. “Sometimes it’s hard to sleep, and having something to do with your hands can keep you sane. You’re in a strange house, with a lot of strange people around, so it’s not like you can stress clean or sort out drawers to keep the worries at bay.”
“This house is extremely clean and well maintained,” Bracken said primly.
“I’ll take her,” Tom said. “It’s only next door and a few hundred yards, but I’ll take the car.” He looked over to Alison. “The weather is filthy, and if we take the car, you can load it up with anything you might need.”
Alison swallowed. “Thank you,” she murmured. “Having my knitting…” Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat. “With the boys away and everything going on…” She waved an expressive hand at the darkness outside. “Well, having a distraction helps.”
“Be careful.” Lord Peregrine hadn’t contributed much to the conversation, but he was on his second bowl of soup and his mouth was pinched with worry. “Things are reaching a peak. I cannot tell how the cards are going to fall.”
***
“It feels strange taking the car,” Alison said. “It’s really only yards.”
Tom pulled easily out of Rowan Cottage’s driveway. “I know, just down one drive, two minutes along the road and then up your drive.” The rain rattled against the windscreen. “But even if there weren’t scary things out there, it makes sense to use the car in this weather.” He indicated and turned into Alison’s drive. “But given how things are, I think I’ll park the car to make it easy to get away, just in case.”
Alison dug her keys out of her pocket as Tom manoeuvred the car close to the door and facing the drive. “I’ll just dive in and pick up the yarn,” she said. “I’ve got plenty of things at Rowan Cottage. There’s no point in hanging around.” She looked sheepishly up at Tom. “I know you’re the one that’s been traipsing around the stones in this filthy weather, but I’m exhausted and ready for bed. I just want to get this done.”
“I’m coming in with you,” Tom said, checking the handbrake before opening his door. “I don’t think we can trust anything, and no-one should go alone.”
Alison winced as the wind hit her. “Thank you for bringing me here, despite the weather,” she said. “I’m glad that Hilary suggested this, though. “It’s a way to keep me sane.”
Tom nodded. “I’ve got a couple of books waiting for me,” he said. “Just in case I can’t sleep.” He followed Alison into the house and then swore.
“I can’t believe it,” Alison murmured. She turned around to Tom. “Why did this happen?”
“It could be worse,” Tom said grimly. He walked past her into the living room and righted the upturned sofa. “It’s just a little mess.”
Alison shook her head. One of the curtains was hanging off the hooks. Books had been tumbled from shelves, an ornament was smashed on the fireplace, and the box of toys had been upended and the contents strewn across the room. “It’s not just a little mess.” She froze. “It could be worse, couldn’t it?”
Tom nodded. “But we don’t think about that right now,” he said briskly. “We walk quickly through the house, pick up your knitting supplies, and then we get back to Rowan Cottage. There are a lot of protections there.”
A shudder ran through Alison, and she nodded. “Follow me,” she said, marching quickly across the room to a large tapestry holdall and unzipped it. “Oh no!”
Tom looked over her shoulder. From the outside, the holdall was untouched. On the inside, skeins of yarn were tangled and the bundle of knitting needles was scattered, with at least half of the needles bent or broken. “I’m sorry,” Tom said quietly.
Alison zipped up the holdall, then stood straight. “Let’s get out of here,” she said quietly. “There are more important things to do.” She looked at the tumbled cushions and scattered crayons. “We need to deal with the cause, not the symptom. Let’s get back to Rowan Cottage.”
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