Free Blood and Clay by Dulcinea Norton-Smith Page A

musty, mildew tinged air
again. If he could put a name to the smell it would be “ filth ” . He looked around at the pools of
muddy earth where the roof had dripped in water. Cat faeces littered the floor.
How could those harridans let the poor children live in this pit?

 
    As
they sat in silence he heard the not too distant voice of Hargreaves as he
brought the women back up the hill, chastising them for the state of their land
as he came. Just a minute or two until they reached the house, Roger reckoned.
Suddenly a thought hit him. As Alizon stared him in the eye it seemed that the
thought he had had been sent directly from her.

 
    “ Alizon what did your Grandmother do after you left the
farm? ”

 
    “ We came back here. It was nightfall by then. She told me to
leave her outside to sit awhile so I came into the house to look after Jennet.
I put Jennet to bed in our room then I heard Grandma calling so I went and
helped her inside. ”

 
    “ That ’ s all? ”

 
    “ Yes Sir ”

 
    “ Then two days later Emma was struck ill and almost a year
to the day was dead ” said Roger, almost to himself.

 
    There
had not been a straight answer here. Not the fullness of what he wanted to
hear, but a start and the threads had begun to weave together, giving Roger the
beginnings of an idea about how this family of witches worked. Not enough to
arrest any of them but enough to assure him that they needed to be watched, and
carefully.

Chapter Eleven

 
    “ What ’ s up with you Lizzie? You ’ ve said nowt for the past half hour. ” Gabe flicked a piece of grass that
he had been chewing on at me.
     
    I
picked it off my knee and flicked it to the ground. We had been sitting at
Beggar ’ s Bend for half an hour now and for the first time since we
had met, five years ago, I had been unable to think of anything to say to Gabe.
We had always had it so easy. We talked about everything; hopes fears, acting
like stupid five year olds. Why had it all suddenly become so difficult for me?

 
    “ There ’ s nowt wrong. Stop your fussing Gabe. Just thinking ’ is all. ”

 
    “ That ’ s a lie and you know it Liz. Don ’ t lie to me. I can see when there is
something wrong. Know every part of your mind I do. ”

 
    Gabe
moved round to sit in front of me and put his fingers under my chin, tilting my
face upwards. I tried to keep looking down but when it started to give me a
headache I looked to the side instead, squinting down the road. I still had
money left from the leather purse so I had no need to beg but being here was
better than being at home and it meant I could see Gabe. Now that wasn ’ t feeling like such a good idea.

 
    “ Look at me Lizzie. What ’ s   up? ” Gabe lowered his head and moved it to the side a little to
try and catch my eye.

 
    My
eyes flitted to his before I could stop them and once our eyes met I was stuck.
I knew in the very core of me the colour of Gabe ’ s eyes. My knowledge of every part of
his face pulsed through my blood but now it all seemed so unfamiliar and new.
The June sun, hot and bright, glinted in his eyes, making the pale green an
almost transparent shimmer. I could see each freckle, far more of them than in
the winter months, and each small hair growing from his jaw-line, making a
slight shadow fall across muscles in his face that I couldn ’ t remember having seen before. His
face was so close that his breath on my face was comforting and creamy like a
mug of warmed milk. Yet I didn ’ t feel soothed. Every nerve in my body seemed to jangle.

 
    Gabe
nudged my chin and laughed. “ See Lizzie, not so hard to look me in the eye is it? Now
what ’ s making you so troubled heh? ”

 
    Gabe
leant back on his elbow again and I took a deep breath. I hadn ’ t even realised that I had been
holding it.

 
    “ How ’ s Jane? ”

 
    “ Jane? ”

 
    “ Jane Nutter? ”

 
    “ Oh! ” Gabe looked surprised. “ I don ’ t know.