The Mysteries of Brambly Hollow

reluctance, she grasped him unceremoniously by the elbow and led him across to the bench. “There’s a seat behind you, sit down,” she told him, leaving him to collapse onto it. Once he’d taken the weight off his legs, he cradled his head heavily in his hands. Between his fingers, Meli could see beads of perspiration studding his brow. With her own firsthand experience, she knew exactly how he must be feeling, but she felt totally void of any sympathy for him. She sat beside him, well, on the same bench, but as far away as she could, and regarded him warily. She still didn’t know what to make of his appearance. Was he the enemy within the gates? This might be a prison, but it was her prison, and she was particular who she shared it with. He had a lot of explaining to do, but she could be patient, after all, she wasn’t exactly going anywhere. It was several minutes before he lifted his head and stared around him, by which time silence had fallen once more outside.
    “What happened?” He whispered, looking bemused.
    “You’re asking me?” She snapped. “I’d hoped you’d be telling me that.” For the first time ever, he wasn’t looking at her with his usual broody dislike, but Meli wasn’t going to let this throw her off her guard. She was feeling infuriated with him, and she didn’t know why.
    “Are you alright?” Having taken in his grim surroundings, he looked directly at her in the feeble light.
    She nodded, still unsure what to make of the change in her circumstances. Why was fate so fickle, so unkind? To have her locked up in here was bad enough, but to stick Bill Barber with her was just plain cruel. She felt that even Robinson Crusoe would have booted him off his island, given half a chance.
    “Thank goodness. Everyone has been so worried,” he told her. As he spoke his fingers began gingerly examining the back of his head.
    She stiffened. So he did have news of the outside world. “What’s been happening?” There was desperation in her voice as she leant towards him.
    Bill took a deep breath, and gave his head a tenuous shake. “Everyone has been out looking for you. Your husband has been frantic with worry.”
    “And the boys? And Cass?” Meli was oblivious to the dampness creeping over her eyes as her lower lip began to quiver.
    “Fine. I think they’ve been staying at the B & B while your husband’s been out. He was out all night.”
    “How, how do you know?”
    “’Cause I was with him.”
    Meli’s eyes swelled. “You?”
    “And a couple of others,” he nodded. “Tim, the vicar, Doug.”
    So Cal hadn’t been tucked up in bed, sleeping soundly while she was freezing her extremities off here in her prison? He’d been out all night with their friends, well present company excepted. The brewing tears suddenly trickled down her cheeks as her eyes overflowed. She turned her head away, trying to hide them, embarrassed at showing any sign of emotion in front of this stranger.
    They both fell silent for a short time.
    “How did you find me?” The question drifted into her head. She was partly suspicious, partly hopeful. Her suspicion aroused as to why he, of all people, would be out looking for her through the night? What had he hoped to gain? To hide? Tim, the vicar and Doug she could understand - bless them all. But Bill? It was a bit like a poacher out looking for a deer without a rifle. Apparently unmotivated, therefore, highly questionable. But Bill was a prisoner too, so was there some hope that someone knew that he had come here to search? “Will others come? Will Cal be here soon?” Her voice rose eagerly.
    Bill flicked his dark eyes in her direction and regarded her for a long moment. In the poor light she couldn’t tell anything from them. Slowly he shook his head.
    “But why?” Her voice was shrill now. “If you’re here, surely the others must have known you were coming?” She watched as he lowered his head, glancing at his feet at though they held the answer. Shaking, from lack of food as much as an intense, burning anger, Meli rose and stood over him, her body electrified. “How did you know to look here?” Her suspicions had obviously been justified.
    “Have you looked for a way out?” He asked with a swift change of subject, lumbering to his feet and nudging passed her.
    “Of course,” she spat venomously. Her dislike for him was gaining momentum. She watched impatiently while he checked the door, before searching the lean-to: peering into