Hidden (Marchwood Vampire Series #1) (13 page)

Maddy lifted
the heavy bolt, turned the key and pulled the door open.

 
A small slim woman in her fifties, with
brownish grey bobbed hair stood at the bottom of the steps, looking
up at them.

‘
Afternoon, I’m Esther Foxton, Morris’ wife.’ She looked them
up and down, an unimpressed look on her face, walked up the front
steps and wiped her feet on the mat. ‘You’re young,’ she said to
Madison.

Maddy didn’t
respond. Esther walked past them, straight through to the kitchen.
Maddy and Ben followed her looking at each other, eyebrows
raised.

‘
What would you like me to do for you then?’ Esther asked,
without waiting for a reply. ‘I can come in for five days a week if
you like, from nine till twelve. I’ll clean and do your washing,
shopping and meals. How’s that sound? Let me know in advance if you
don’t want me to come for any reason, I still get paid for those
days anyway - Hamilton Blythe deal with all that. If you want
anything extra, we can sort it out between us. Alright?’

She hadn’t
paused for breath and she didn’t sound as if she was asking, she
sounded like she was telling.

‘
Yeah, that‘s ... fine,’ Maddy said.

‘
Leave a list of any extra groceries you want. Leave your
washing in the basket at the top of the stairs. Here’s our
telephone number, I’ll put it on the fridge. Ring me if there’s an
emergency or if you need Morris to drive you somewhere. He’ll take
me laddo here to school of a morning when term starts and then, if
he wants, he can start taking the bus. D’you want a cuppa tea?’ She
started filling the kettle and got some mugs out of the
cupboard.

‘
No thanks,’ Maddy said.

Esther turned
to look at Ben and waved a mug in front of him.

‘
Umm, no thanks.’

‘
Right, I’ll have a quick cuppa and then I’ll be off. Back
tomorrow at nine, as agreed. I‘ve got my own set of keys so I’ll
let myself in.’

‘
She’s got a nerve,’ Maddy said, after Esther had gone. “I’ve
got my own set of keys, so I’ll let myself in”.’ She mimicked her
Gloucestershire accent. ‘Oh well, at least we won’t have to do any
housework.’

‘
She’s weird,’ Ben said.

‘
Yeah, her
and
Morris. Both of them are weird.’

*

During the
next week, Madison and Ben fell into a routine. Esther came to the
house in the morning, so they spent those hours outside, wandering
in the gardens, getting lost in the maze, exploring the woods and
feeding the very tame deer. They even visited the small chapel
where her ancestors had been buried.

Maddy asked
Morris to take them to the nearest large town where she bought a
couple of top-of-the-range mountain bikes. These made getting
around the property a lot easier and a lot more fun.

They usually
ate lunch together in the kitchen. Then, in the afternoons, they
would do their own thing. Ben would be outside riding around on his
bike and climbing trees in the forest, whilst Maddy explored the
house.

She discovered
a gorgeously cosy library, stacked floor to ceiling with books.
Maddy would tuck herself into the corner of the deep cushioned
window seat and start to read one of the dusty hardbacks. But she
couldn’t concentrate. She was too excited for any book to hold her
interest for long. The library led into a large, warm orangery with
citrus trees, vines and all kinds of other greenery. The house just
overflowed with beautiful and interesting places to sit and
relax.

By Friday of
that first week, Madison began to get a bit restless, unused to so
much free time and so few people. She wandered the house from the
attics to the cellars. She cycled, ran, played pool, darts, the
hoopla game and started to feel as though it truly was her house,
but she missed her friends. Ben, however, was completely absorbed
in the house and grounds. He loved them and hadn’t been bored once.
Maddy scrolled through the numbers in her new mobile phone and
called Keisha.

‘
Oh, my God, Mads!’ Keisha’s screech made Maddy smile. ‘We’re
just walking home. I’m with Lois. I’ll put you on speaker phone.
Lois, it’s Mads. Say hi to Mads.’

‘
Hey, girl, how’s it going in your stately home?’

‘
I miss my girls,’ Maddy said. ‘Why don’t you come up this
weekend? In fact, why don’t you spread the word. I’m gonna have a
party. Saturday night.’

‘
Now that’s what I’m talking about!’ Lois shouted.

After Maddy
turned her phone off, she felt her heart thump wildly. A party?
She’d just said she was having a party. Knowing Keisha and Lois,
they would invite half of Collingstone Comp. And the rest. She
needed sounds, drink, food, something new to wear.

Madison
ordered a taxi and went into town. She couldn’t wait until she was
seventeen and able to drive herself around, it was such a hassle
relying on Morris or having to wait around for taxis. She walked up
and down the main street a few times, then checked out a couple of
side streets until she came across the kind of place she wanted. It
was a hip little record store with a few kids hanging around
outside. She went in.

‘
D’you know any good DJs who’d be free on Saturday night?’ she
asked the guy behind the counter.

He laughed. ‘I
know some really crap DJs who’d be free on Saturday night. But the
good ones have pretty much all got gigs.’ He shook his head,
walking off into the back room.

‘
Wanker,’ Madison muttered.

‘’
That bloke’s a dick. I wouldn’t worry about him.’ Maddy
turned round to see a boy about her age, with longish blonde hair
in a Rage Against The Machine t shirt and a record bag slung over
his shoulder. ‘You looking for a DJ, yeah?’

‘
Mmm.’

‘
I can do it.’

‘
You any good? What sort of tunes do you play?’

‘
Whatever. I can mix it up, see who’s there and play what the
crowd wants. I‘m good,’ he added.

Maddy thought
for a second and decided to risk it. He was her best and only
option.

‘
What do you charge?’

The boy looked
at her. ‘What can you pay?’

‘
If you’re good, you’ll be happy.’

‘
I’m good.’

‘
My name’s Madison.’

‘
Hey, Madison.’

‘
Bring some friends if you like, more the merrier,’ she
added.

‘
Cool. I’m Travis. Where’s the party?’

‘
Marchwood House, just outside town.’

‘
Serious?’ His eyes widened and he scratched his
shoulder.

‘
That a problem?’

‘
No, no. That’s wicked. I’ll come down about seven, get set
up. You from London? Your accent’s sweet.’

‘
Yeah, just moved here with my brother.’

‘
Cool, Madison. Later.’

‘
Oh, Travis, do you know where I can get hold of some
refreshments
for
Saturday?’

He laughed.
‘Yeah, I can hook you up. What do you want? Beers and stuff?’

‘
Pretty much.’

‘
No worries, you just tell me what you want and how much and
my brother will sort it for you.’

‘
Thanks, Travis. Shall I take your number?’

‘
Yeah, here you go.’ He picked up a pen from the counter and
scribbled on the back of a flyer.

‘
Cheers. Saturday then.’

‘
Saturday.’

Maddy found a
great clothes shop with interesting alternative stuff. Nothing
chain store-ish in sight, and she ended up buying way more than
she’d intended. Then she raced around the supermarket, chucking
crisps, sausage rolls and anything else that looked like party food
into her trolley. The taxi was waiting outside for her and she sank
into the back seat, pretty pleased with her afternoon’s work.

*

Keisha and
Lois arrived Saturday lunchtime. They’d come by coach and then
taxi, which Maddy paid for. Her friends were stunned by the house
and Madison felt proud, awkward and strange all at the same time.
She’d always been the underdog, the one people felt sorry for
because she had no parents and no proper home and she’d hated their
sympathy and pity. But she didn’t quite know what to do with this
new attitude of respect and awe she now inspired.

‘
I can’t believe you live here!’ Keisha screeched for the
fifth time. Maddy gave them a tour of the house and asked if they
wanted to choose their bedrooms. But Lois said she wanted to sleep
in Maddy’s room and Keisha agreed. There was a long deep red velvet
button back sofa which Lois bagged and they dragged in a single
mattress and some bedding from the room next door for Keisha. Then
they turned the music up and spent the next few hours getting
ready.

‘
You know Lois did some flyers, right?’

‘
Flyers?’

‘
Yeah,’ Lois said. ‘I did them round Tony’s after you rang and
we been handing them out all week.’

‘
This place will be rammed.’

‘
Cool,’ Maddy said, feeling new tremors of
trepidation.

‘
Ben!’ Lois and Keisha cried together.

‘
Come here, you cute boy. Let me kiss you.’ Lois held her arms
out to Ben, who had appeared in the doorway. Ben reluctantly let
himself be smothered in kisses, before pulling away.

‘
Mads, what time’s everyone coming?’ he asked.

‘
Won’t be till really late, Ben. But you can stay up. It’s
your first proper party.’

‘
Yeah, but none of my friends will be here.’

‘
Sorry, shortie, but they’re too young. They wouldn’t be able
to get here. Or be allowed to come, even. That’s the beauty of
having a big sister looking after you. You get to do way more cool
stuff.’

‘
Yeah.’ But he looked a bit doubtful as he wandered
away.

At seven
thirty, the doorbell chimed. Maddy, Lois and Keisha went to answer
the door together. It was Travis. He had driven up to the house
along with about fifteen or twenty other people in several vehicles
and some of them had started unloading a PA system from a battered
yellow transit van.

‘
Just set it up there.’ Madison pointed to a large patio at
the side of the house, in front of a huge lawned area where people
could dance. ‘You can run the cable in through the lounge
doors.’

‘
Cool,’ Travis replied. ‘This place is unbelievable. Your
parents away?’

‘
Did you manage to get hold of the drinks?’ Maddy asked,
ignoring his question.

‘
Yeah, I got your message. My brother’s got everything in his
car. Do you want him to take it into the kitchen?’

‘
Please. It’s straight through, at the back of the
house.’

‘
I’ve told
everyone
about tonight,’ he said. ‘You said, the more the
merrier.’

‘
Yeah, I did say that didn’t I.’

He laughed at
the worried expression on her face. ‘Chill, it’ll be sweet.’

As more cars
and small crowds of people started approaching the house, little
niggles of worry started making themselves felt in Madison’s
stomach. It was only eight o’clock and the front lawn was filling
up already. She followed Travis’ brother through to the kitchen
where she popped the lid on a bottle of cold beer, tipped her head
back and took several gulps.

‘
There you are!’ shouted Keisha, walking into the kitchen as a
deep bass line started up, shaking the house to its foundations.
‘Tonight’s gonna be the bomb.’

Chapter
Eight

1881

*

The next day
dawned grey and cold, with no sighting of the warm Anatolian sun
that had accompanied them all the way from Smyrna. Alexandre
shivered in the damp morning air as he washed and dressed in thick
breeches, waistcoat and jacket.

A mood of
anticipation permeated the camp as everybody looked forward to
viewing the site for the very first time. The two families followed
Isik to the ventilation shaft. The area surrounding it had been
cleared and they crowded around the narrow opening that had been
cut roughly from the soft volcanic rock.

Without delay,
the guards secured a rope around a nearby rock and lowered
Alexandre’s father into the depths of the Cappadocian earth.

After a couple
of long minutes, a shout came from below.

‘
Very good! You can pull up the rope!’

Harold went
next and Alexandre peered down after him. Isik pulled the rope back
up and looked questioningly at Alexandre. He hesitated. His father
had not said he was permitted, but surely he could not object once
he was down there.

The rope
squeezed his chest and dug in under his arms. Holding a lantern in
one hand, he used his free hand to steady his descent and stop
himself banging into the sharp sides. He shivered and inhaled the
musty, damp scent of age-old decay.

The light from
above grew fainter and he looked up to see the shrinking features
of Maman as she squinted down at him. The shaft widened out at the
bottom and Alexandre’s feet finally touched uneven ground. He held
the lantern out unsteadily in front of him.

‘
Alexandre!’ Papa exclaimed. ‘Well, now you are here, come and
look at this. We require your help.