Free Frost Hollow Hall by Emma Carroll Page A

out,’ I said.
    Though the sun was shining, the cold made the tips of my ears sting. What’s more, I was sick with nerves. And the last person on earth I wanted to see was Will.
    ‘No need to be unfriendly.’
    I glared at him. ‘You snitched on me.’
    ‘So I did.’
    ‘It was a lousy thing to do.’
    ‘I’m sorry.’
    ‘Lost your bottle, did you?
    ‘Maybe. But the Barringtons are our finest customers, see. If we lost that account, then . . .’ He trailed off, looking uneasy.
    ‘So Mrs Jessop didn’t tell your pa, then?’
    ‘No, luckily. But only after I’d cleaned those chickens out within an inch of my life.’ And he smiled at me then in that slow, lazy way of his that was meant to win me over but actually got right up my nose.
    ‘Glad it worked out so well for you,’ I said, hitching up my skirts. ‘Now I’m in a hurry so leave me be.’
    As I walked on, my anger grew. I bet he’d had breakfast this morning, I bet he’d seen his pa today. And he’d have supper waiting for him when he’d done his day’s work, with his whole family all sat round the table. It didn’t seem fair. Not one bit.
    I quickened my pace to get shot of him, but he stuck to me like a limpet all the way up Combe Hill.
    ‘Go away, Will,’ I said, through gritted teeth.
    ‘Not ’til you tell me where you’re going.’
    I did my best to walk even faster. But it was tricky underfoot where hooves and cart wheels had turned the snow to slush that had then frozen hard. Will offered me his arm.
    ‘I don’t need your help,’ I said, though in truth it was a job to stay upright.
    ‘Suit yourself.’
    Out on the main road, the ground got easier. We walked on in silence, until finally Will said, ‘You’re going to get work at the Hall, aren’t you?’
    ‘You don’t know everything,’ I snapped, feeling myself going red.
    ‘I knew it! You’re such a rubbish liar!’
    ‘Am not.’
    ‘I’d heard they was after a housemaid,’ said Will. ‘You’d be just the ticket. You’d find out all sorts about Kit Barrington, working there.’
    ‘P’raps.’
    I looked at him sideways. It wasn’t worth telling Will anything, not after the stunt he pulled yesterday, bleating to Mrs Jessop about my stupid ideas . But I felt so sick, I wasn’t thinking right and besides, Will knew how much this job meant to me.
    ‘I just hope they’ll have me,’ I said.
    ‘You’ve swept a floor before, haven’t you?’
    ‘’Course!’
    ‘Well then.’
    ‘Trouble is, things is changed.’
    ‘So I heard,’ said Will.
    My heart sank. ‘What’ve you heard?’
    ‘That your pa and sister are gone away, and times is hard.’
    News travelled fast in Frostcombe. But at least he’d spared me the gory details. It hurt enough already; I couldn’t bear for someone as smug as Will Potter to point out all that was wrong with my family.
    ‘If I mess it up, we’ll be in the workhouse,’ I said. ‘Ma’s counting on me.’
    ‘So’s Kit Barrington,’ he said, sharp as you like. ‘Or so you say.’
    ‘I don’t need you telling me , ta very much!’
    ‘Get amongst them Barringtons, then,’ said Will. ‘Find out what makes them tick.’
    ‘It in’t that easy. If they catch me snooping, I’ll be done for!’
    ‘Then make sure they don’t. Keep your gob shut and your eyes open.’
    It was all very well for Will to dish out advice, when he didn’t have to lift a finger himself.
    ‘Just be careful, that’s all,’ he said, suddenly serious.
    ‘Since when did you care?’
    We fell silent for a moment, then his face lit up with a grin.
    ‘You’ve changed your hair, haven’t you?’ he said.
    ‘Yes,’ I said, patting it gently. ‘Is it all right still?’
    ‘It looked better before, if you ask me.’
    Oaf.
    I thumped him.
    *
    The gates to the Hall were actually open for once. A man in a greatcoat was in the process of leading his pony and trap through them. He stopped to peer at us as we approached.
    ‘You bound for the Hall,