All My Secrets (17 page)

The sun outside is already high in the sky, though partly hidden behind a bank of cloud. The nearby trees are bending and swaying in the wind, but there’s no sign of the predicted storm.
Which means Mr Bradley is probably already on his way in the boat to fetch someone to repair the phone lines. And soon I’ll be able to speak to my uncle.

I hurry into my clothes, then race downstairs. I’m starving, so I head straight for the kitchen. The hall clock says it’s just past ten, so I’m assuming the kitchen will be
empty, with everyone doing chores around the house and in the grounds. But to my surprise all the others except Samuel are still sitting around the table, talking in low voices as I rush in.

‘Hey, Evie, they wouldn’t let us wake you!’ Pepper jumps up, eyes wide with excitement.

Kit and Josh have their backs to me. They turn as Pepper says my name.

I skid to a halt. The sight of them side by side is like someone throwing a bucket of ice water into my face. Kit smiles, as good-looking as ever in a tight blue T-shirt. Josh raises his
eyebrows. His quizzical look sets my heart racing.

I’m with Kit
, I think.

But it is Josh whose face I linger on.

I stand, frozen in the kitchen doorway, my eyes still fixed on Josh.

‘Are you OK, Evie?’ Kit asks.

‘Yes, I’m fine.’

‘Josh says you got trapped by the sea and had to swim out of a cave,’ Pepper declares with relish.

Josh gives a tiny shake of the head to let me know that he hasn’t said anything about the ghost or the stones in the cave; that he knows I wouldn’t want everyone discussing those
intimate details. I try to convey my thanks with my eyes.

‘Evie?’ Kit asks. ‘Are you really all right?’

I look at him at last, then at Pepper. ‘Course,’ I say. ‘Though Josh basically saved my life yesterday.’

Josh leans back in his chair, trying to look modest.

‘Wow,’ Anna breathes, shooting him an admiring glance.

Pepper’s eyes grow wider. She digs Anna in the ribs. ‘I
knew
it. Tell us all the details.’

I can feel Kit’s eyes on my face.

‘Er, maybe later. Um, is there any breakfast left?’ I ask, hoping to change the subject. It isn’t just that I don’t want to talk about Irina’s ghost in front of
everyone . . . there’s something in that intent look of Kit’s that’s making me feel very uncomfortable.

‘I think there are some rolls,’ Anna says vaguely.

‘If Josh and Kit haven’t eaten them all,’ Pepper drawls.

I scuttle over to the bread bin and pick out a roll.

As I sit down at the end of the table, Kit clears his throat. ‘Sounds like you guys were stranded for hours.’ His voice has a definite edge to it. ‘With just each other for
company?’

I nod, feeling a blush start to creep up my neck. I focus on spreading butter on my roll. ‘We mostly spent the afternoon telling jokes,’ I say.

‘Yeah and listening to music,’ Josh adds.

‘Right.’ Kit’s lips are pressed tightly together. What on earth is the matter with him?

I turn to Pepper. ‘Where’s Samuel?’ I ask.

‘No idea,’ she says.

‘He wasn’t in our room when we woke up,’ Josh says.

‘He’s probably having another one-to-one with Mr Lomax,’ Kit adds.

‘But Loonymax didn’t turn up for morning meditation . . .’ Pepper drawls, ‘. . . so we don’t actually know what’s happened to him or Samuel or anyone
else.’

My chest tightens as I remember Samuel’s anxious face the last time I saw him. He said then that he had something important to tell me. I hope he’s OK.

‘The only person we’ve seen is Mrs Moncrieff,’ Anna adds, chewing at one of her fingernails.

‘Yeah, batty old bird told us to stay here, said someone would be in to talk to us soon.’ Pepper yawns.

Silence falls. I take a bite of my roll, carefully avoiding both Kit’s and Josh’s gaze.

‘Hello, everyone.’ Miss Bunnock appears in the doorway.

I turn in my seat. Miss Bunnock’s hair is tousled and she’s frowning, her expression anxious and distracted.

‘Where’s Samuel?’ I ask.

‘I’m afraid that Samuel has run away from the island,’ Miss Bunnock says.

Everyone stares at her. I stop chewing.

‘What?’ Josh’s mouth gapes.

‘What do you mean he’s
run away
?’ Pepper asks. ‘How is that even possible on an island?’

‘He’s taken
Aurora
, the motorboat from the boathouse.’ Miss Bunnock purses her lips. ‘Mr Bradley found signs he’d been there, that lighter he carries with
him was on the floor.’ She holds out her hand to show us.

‘Samuel took the boat?’ Anna asks, wide-eyed. ‘Oh my goodness.’

‘You mean he went to sea?’ Pepper sounds more shocked than I’d ever heard her.

‘During the storm?’ Kit looks incredulous.

‘Well, we don’t actually know when he left,’ Miss Bunnock says. ‘At first, we thought he must have gone looking for killer whales at sea again, just as he did on his
first evening here. But then Mr Bradley found the
Aurora
missing late last night after you returned. I’m afraid there’s really no other explanation: Samuel has run
off.’

‘Ho-ly cow,’ Pepper says with slow emphasis. ‘I had no idea Samuel had it in him to steal a boat and take it to sea in a storm. That’s not easy.’

‘It’s not something to be proud off,’ Miss Bunnock tuts.

I lay down my roll, thinking of Mr Lomax’s plan to send Mr Bradley to fetch an engineer to repair the phone lines. ‘But if the boat has gone that means no one can leave the
island.’

‘Indeed,’ Miss Bunnock says. ‘Though we’re hoping someone on the mainland will send a boat to check on us. They normally do if the telephone lines go down.’

‘Hoping?’ Kit asks with a frown.

‘The sun might be shining now, but another storm is brewing,’ Miss Bunnock explains. ‘Looks like it might be even worse than yesterday and, if the weather makes the journey
treacherous, no one on the mainland will risk sending a boat.’

‘So what do we do now?’ Anna asks, winding a strand of hair anxiously round her finger.

‘Have a musical interlude?’ Josh suggests hopefully. ‘I could play my guitar, take everyone’s mind off the situation?’

I smile in spite of my worries. So does Pepper.

‘You’ll be getting on with your chores of course.’ Miss Bunnock consults the wallchart. ‘But nothing outdoors until Mr Bradley has fully assessed the storm damage
outside.’ She glances at me, her expression softening into one of soothing concern. ‘How are you feeling this morning, Evie?’

‘Er, fine,’ I mumble, a blush heating my cheeks.

Miss Bunnock looks around the kitchen. ‘Mmm,’ she continues, ‘we’ll have to change things around a bit as Samuel isn’t with us . . .’

‘Evie and I would like to work together, please,’ Kit says.

‘I’m afraid that isn’t possible.’ Miss Bunnock sounds distracted. ‘You and Pepper are cleaning bathrooms this morning. Anna, you can join them. Josh and Evie are on
kitchen duty, but no chopping or carving; we’ve removed the knives.’ Her concerned gaze rests on me for a moment, then she looks away.

‘You
what
?’ Pepper asks.

My blush deepens. Have the staff done that because they’re worried I might hurt myself?

‘Why have you taken the knives away?’ Pepper persists.

Miss Bunnock ignores her. ‘Right then, Mrs Moncrieff will be in shortly to give you instructions.’ She sweeps off.

Kit turns to me, his expression as full of concern as Miss Bunnock’s.

‘Are you sure you’re all right?’ he asks. ‘I don’t want to leave you.’

I stare at him. ‘Honestly, I’m
fine.
Why won’t anyone believe me?’

‘You know why,’ Kit says quietly. He moves closer, whispering in my ear. ‘Miss Bunnock told me about the knife.’

‘That had nothing to do with me,’ I whisper back. ‘As far as I’m concerned, Lomax probably planted the thing under my pillow, to make it look like I was . . . unbalanced
or something.’

‘What are you two talking about?’ Pepper demands.

Kit chews on his lip. ‘Guys, we need to keep an eye on Evie, make sure she’s all right today.’

For goodness’ sake. I’m starting to feel irritated. ‘Seriously, I’m OK.’

‘Of course you are,’ Kit says, his voice oozing sympathy.

‘Sounds like you’re the one we need to keep an eye on, Kit,’ Josh says. ‘You’re acting like a right weirdo.’

‘I wasn’t talking to you.’ Kit clenches his fists, suddenly mad.

‘Ooh, testosterone surge alert.’ Pepper rolls her eyes. ‘Come on, Kit, let’s get your muscles working on the first-floor toilets.’

Kit gives a low growl, then turns away as Pepper ushers him and Anna out of the kitchen. Josh and I are alone.

‘Hey.’ He glances at me and smiles, looking suddenly self-conscious.

‘Hey yourself.’

‘Right . . . I’ve apples for you to peel, then crumble mix to make and peas to shell.’ Mrs Moncrieff bustles in.

Josh rolls his eyes. ‘Great,’ he says. ‘Bring on the fruit and veg.’

For the next few minutes, Mrs Moncrieff sorts us out with the equipment we’ll need. We’re given two blunt peelers to do the apples with; no knives. Mrs Moncrieff says she’ll
core the fruit later.

‘Now are you quite all right, Evie dear?’

‘Great, thanks,’ I mutter.

‘Good, good,’ she says with a smile. ‘I’m afraid I have to leave you as the storeroom is flooded. We moved what we could yesterday, but I want to go through what’s
there, see what’s ruined and what can be saved.’

She hurries out of the room and Josh and I get on with our work, applying our peelers to the huge pile of apples Mrs Moncrieff has set in front of us.

‘I saw that look Bunnock gave you earlier,’ Josh says as soon as we’re alone. ‘What was all that about the knives?’

I take a deep breath and tell him. Josh shakes his head.

‘Something very weird is going on.’ He falls silent.

Relieved he isn’t buying into Lomax’s self-harming story, I focus on finishing my apple peeling. I wonder if Josh is remembering our brief kiss. I’d like to find out what he
thinks, but my head feels too confused because of Kit to talk about it, so I keep the conversation focused on Samuel’s dramatic departure from the island.

‘I hope he’s OK.’ I chew on my lip. ‘Why d’you think he ran off?’

Josh makes a face. ‘Dunno, but he’s kind of strange and he knows lots of things, so I wouldn’t be surprised to hear he could handle a motorboat even in a storm all the way to
the mainland. He obviously remembered exactly how to pick the lock on the corridor door and I only showed him how to do it once, using a bit of wire, which is much harder than with my long
pins.’

‘I see,’ I say.

Josh sighs. ‘Samuel’s smarter than you think – and he definitely knows stuff your average person doesn’t.’

‘That’s true,’ I say, remembering Samuel’s story about the dead kitten inside the sausage. ‘You know, he said he had something important to tell me yesterday, but
when I asked what it was he just said he’d tell me later and of course, by the time we got back, he’d run off.’

‘That’s certainly odd.’ Josh lays down his apple peeler. ‘But, again, Samuel
is
odd. D’you think he just wanted to tell you another strange
fact?’

‘At the time I did, but now . . .’ I frown. ‘Now I’m thinking that the way he was talking was different from when he tells you about trees or animals or whatever. He
looked worried, like it was a seriously big deal.’

‘If it was such a big deal, why not tell you there and then?’ Josh asks.

‘I don’t know, but he did get called away,’ I say.

‘Mmm . . . do you think what he wanted to say had anything to do with the knife being put under your pillow?’ Josh asks. ‘Maybe Samuel saw whoever did that.’

I shrug. ‘Maybe.’

‘Hey.’ Josh looks up, his eyes widening with excitement. ‘Perhaps Samuel wrote down whatever it was.’

I wrinkle my nose. ‘Why d’you think he’d have done that?’

‘He writes down lots of stuff in this notebook. He keeps it up in our room, in that hiding place I told you about. It’s worth a look, don’t you think?’

‘Yes.’ I stand up. ‘I know they lock the doors up there during the day, but could you get us into the boys’ bedroom?’ I ask. Josh stares at me.
‘
Now?
’

‘Yes,’ I say. ‘I remember that after our first day you said you’d carry stuff for picking locks at all times . . . or was that a joke?’

A slow smile creeps across Josh’s lips. ‘No joke,’ he says. ‘Let’s go.’

The boys’ bedroom looks just like the girls’ with three beds, each set with a simple white cover.

Josh kneels down at the far end of the room and pulls away the small armchair that sits in front of the wall.

‘Is that the hiding place?’ I ask.

‘Yeah, under this floorboard,’ Josh explains. ‘I found it on the first night. Samuel and I were using it for our contraband.’

I wrinkle my nose. ‘I can’t believe Samuel had contraband.’

‘He didn’t really, just his notebook and a bit of food we smuggled up from the kitchen. Here . . .’ Josh curls his fingers under the edge of a patch of floorboard about seven
centimetres long, then lifts it up. Underneath I can see his little MP3 player, plus the charger, then the edge of a piece of stiff white card.

‘What’s that?’ I ask, pointing at the card.

‘Dunno. I didn’t notice it last night when I put the player back.’ Josh kneels down and puts his hand into the gap. He feels along the dusty plank of wood and draws out the
white paper. He turns it over.

It’s my missing photo of Irina, the one from under my pillow.

I gasp. ‘This is mine,’ I say. ‘It’s the picture I found in Lomax’s office, the one that got swapped for the knife. What’s it doing here?’

Josh shakes his head. ‘Maybe Samuel switched them.’

I frown. ‘Then why did he want to talk to me so badly?’

Josh doesn’t answer, he’s staring down at the photo. ‘This is your birth mum?’ he asks. ‘You don’t look much like her.’

‘I know.’ Something shrivels inside me. Kit had seen a similarity or at least he’d said he did. ‘She was really pretty, much prettier than me.’