Free No Peace for Amelia by Siobhan Parkinson Page B

tarry smell from the hole.
    â€˜Oh, things, things.’ Mary Ann stuffed some stockings very fiercely down the side of her bag. ‘But not guns, Amelia.’
    â€˜Guns?’ Amelia sat down with a thump on the floor and peered into the hidey-hole.
    â€˜ Not guns, I said. I might be tempted to do it. In fact, for one moment I was tempted to do it.’
    Amelia looked up at Mary Ann, her mouth open.
    â€˜But then,’ Mary Ann went on, in a dreamy voice, almost as if she was talking to herself, ‘then I thought about how good and kind your family had been to me, and I knew I could never endanger them – or you, Amelia.’
    At this point Mary Ann looked at Amelia, but Amelia still got the impression that she was talking to herself rather than to her.
    â€˜So I refused,’ Mary Ann concluded grandly.
    â€˜Gosh!’ whispered Amelia.
    â€˜Will you tell your ma that from me, please, Amelia?’ Mary Ann was really talking to her now. ‘Even though Patrick begged me. Tell her I refused.’
    Amelia was beginning to piece together what hadhappened. Someone had come here, looking for guns. And they had thought there would be guns because of Mary Ann, and particularly because of Mary Ann’s brother, Patrick. How dare they come into this house of peace! How dare they bring their violence and their war-making and their threats in here! And how dare they drive Mary Ann away like this!
    â€˜No!’ said Amelia, her refusal ringing out like a shot. She had almost lost Mary Ann once before, and she didn’t want it to happen again. ‘I will not tell my mother anything of the sort, because you’re not going anywhere , Mary Ann, whatever you did or didn’t do for your precious brother. Now, will you take those clothes out of that carpet bag and put them back in the drawer.’
    â€˜No, Amelia, I can’t stay now. They suspect me, and any house I’m in will only be suspected too. I can’t bring suspicion like that down on this family. I’ll have to go.’ And Mary Ann went on doggedly folding her clothes and casting aside things too badly damaged by the soldiers to be worth packing.
    â€˜Oh, Mary Ann, I never thought you were a coward!’ said Amelia slyly.
    â€˜Coward!’ Mary Ann was stung. ‘I’m no coward, Amelia Pim.’
    â€˜Well, then, if you’re not a coward, you will stay and speak to my mother before you go, and you will tell her yourself that you refused to hide the guns for Patrick.’
    Amelia knew that if she could manage to keep MaryAnn until her mother came home, she had a much better chance of keeping her altogether.
    Mary Ann stopped folding, but still she didn’t meet Amelia’s eyes.
    â€˜If you want to be believed, Mary Ann,’ went on Amelia, ‘you’ll have to tell her yourself. If you leave now, without talking to her, she might think you left out of guilt.’
    â€˜But I’m not guilty! I didn’t do it!’ Mary Ann cried out, running her fingers distractedly through her hair, forgetting that she had her cap on, and knocking it to one side.
    Amelia said nothing. She just slotted the loose floor-board into place, closing up the dark hole.
    â€˜Very well,’ said Mary Ann at last, and she threw the bodice she was holding onto the bed and finally looked Amelia straight in the eye. ‘I will talk to your mother myself . But then I’m going, Amelia. I can’t have it said that I brought disgrace on this house.’
    Amelia smiled a big, warm, triumphant smile. ‘Come on, so,’ she said, and went ahead of Mary Ann to the top of the narrow staircase.
    As it turned out, Mary Ann wouldn’t have been able to slip away even if she had wanted to, for Amelia’s parents were both home already. The girls found them all crowded into the kitchen when they got down. Mama and Grandmama sat at the table, and Edmund crouched on his mother’s lap, which he