‘What’s a folly?’
‘I won’t spoil it for you. I’ll let you discover them for yourself. Much more fun that way.’
‘Okay,’ Ben said, his enthusiasm restored. ‘See you later, Mads. I’m going outside for a bit.’
‘Catch you later, shortie.’ Once Ben had left the room, Maddy’s feelings of insecurity returned, but Mr Vasey-Smith instantly put her at her ease.
‘Well, Madison, I know you’ll probably want explore at your leisure, but shall I just give you a quick tour so you can get your bearings?’
‘That would be great. Thank you.’ She stood up and followed him out of the drawing room.
Later that evening, after Mr Vasey-Smith had left for the station, Madison and Ben sat at the large scrubbed pine kitchen table and ate a supper of shepherd’s pie and salad. Ben inhaled his food while Maddy just moved hers around the plate.
‘You okay, Benny boy?’
‘Yeah, I love it here,’ he replied with his mouth full.
‘Good.’ At least she didn’t have to worry about him adjusting to country life. He seemed made for it.
‘Are you okay, Maddy? It’s just, you seem really quiet and you’re never usually quiet, not like this. At home you’re usually moody quiet, if you know what I mean. But here you’re like, a different sort of quiet. Aren’t you glad to be here?’
‘Oh, Ben, I am really glad we’re here, but I’m probably just tired. I’ll be back to normal in the morning. I’ll be ‘moody quiet’ for you then, okay?’
‘Okay.’
‘Now, once we’ve finished eating, you know what we’ve got to do don’t you?’
‘No, what?’
‘Choose our bedrooms.’
‘Yesss! Can we go now?’
‘Yeah, Ben, we can do whatever we like. Come on, you choose first.’
‘Really?’
‘Yep. Lead the way.’
They went up the wooden staircase which led to the upper floors and their nine bedrooms.
‘What we gonna do with all these rooms?’
‘Have lots of people to stay I suppose. Our friends could come. We could have big parties. Or we could sleep in a different room every night if we want.’
‘Yeah, cool,’ Ben’s eyes grew wide. ‘But I’d like this green room at the front for now. It’s got an awesome view across the fields and you can see the deer.’
‘Okay, it’s yours.’ Maddy walked out of the green room and along the landing, peering into a couple of the bedrooms. She opened one of the doors at the end and called to Ben. ‘I’m going to have this room at the back!’ It was all reds and golds with the most enormous bed she’d ever seen.
She immediately thought of the small, saggy single bed in her tiny room at the Johnsons. Not that she had ever minded having a tiny bedroom. She’d been happy to have any space to call her own, no matter how small. But this room, it was something else.
Ben followed her. ‘Cool room. Massive bed. What’s the view like?’
‘Dunno.’
She drew back the heavy velvet curtains and looked out onto a stone balcony, adorned with carved cherubs and angels. They pulled open the windows letting a rush of cool dusk air into the room, sweeping the curtains upwards and inwards. Stepping onto the wide stone balcony, Maddy gasped at the view, spread out like a faded painting before them.
It was a lavish ornamental garden. Its centrepiece, a rectangular lake in which the house was perfectly and dramatically reflected. Gravelled pathways surrounded the lake with low manicured hedges, bordered by huge grassy areas. To the right, stood a tall dark maze. Right at the end of the garden, a border of tall trees ran up to a pair of elaborate wrought iron gates painted in cobalt blue. Beyond that lay dense forest.
‘I think you picked the best room, Maddy,’ Ben breathed.
‘I think I did, Ben. I think I did.’
The following day, Madison woke up around noon. She smiled at the fact there was no Angie and no Trevor telling her to shift her lazy backside out of bed. She was here and they weren‘t. After such a good night’s sleep, she felt energised and excited. She couldn’t wait to get up and explore. It would probably take weeks to get to know the place, but she wasn’t short on time. And Ben still had two weeks left of the summer holidays before he started school.
Back in London, Vasey-Smith had suggested a top private school not far from their village, but both Maddy and Ben had balked at the idea.
‘I ain’t going to no posh school.’
‘No one’s sending you anywhere you don’t want to go, Ben,’ Maddy reassured. ‘We’ve had enough of that in our lives. We’ll do it our way now, won’t we, mate?’
‘Thanks, Mads. Does that mean I don’t have to go to school at all? I could stay at home and help you with the house and that.’
‘Hmmm, nice try, Benny boy, but I think you have to go to school. We’ll find you a good one though, one you’ll like. And anyway, you like having a bunch of mates. You’d be bored out of your skull with just me to talk to.’
‘What about you then? What about your mates? You’re not going to school. Why am I going and you’re not?’
‘Cos I’m sixteen and you’re twelve, that’s why.’ God, I sound like Angie.
Maddy took a shower in the luxurious bathroom, threw on some jeans and a t shirt and peered around Ben’s bedroom door. His room was a mess already - stuff all over the floor, his bed unmade and his radio alarm clock still playing. Maddy went in and turned it off. She opened the curtains and stood there for a while looking out across the fields, taking it all in. Then she gave herself a shake and went to look for him.
An empty cereal bowl sat on the kitchen table next to an empty glass containing the dregs of some orange juice. Maddy returned to the hall and opened the door to the dining room. She reckoned the table could probably seat about twenty people. It was massive. The tall sash windows looked out onto a stepped terrace which led down to the ornamental garden.
Back through the kitchen, she tried another door - the games room. She saw Ben leaning over a full size snooker table, concentrating hard to pot a red. He looked up at his sister’s arrival.
‘Hey, Mads, you’ve been asleep for ages. Want a game of pool?’
‘Morning, Ben. Yeah, I’ll just grab some juice and then I’m coming to whoop your ass!’
‘In your dreams, Mads. I’m awesome at this game.’
‘We’ll see, little man.’
Ben was right, he was awesome and he thrashed his sister three-nil, before she surrendered.
‘Okay,’ I agree, you rule,’ she conceded.
‘Yesss!’
A loud chiming ring made her jump.
‘Oh my God! Oh my God.’
‘It’s just the doorbell, Mads.’
‘Yeah I know, but it’s loud. And who is it anyway?’
‘Probably that caretaker woman.’
‘Oh. Right. Okay.’ The doorbell chimed again.
‘Are we gonna answer it then?’
‘Yeah. Come with me, Ben?’
‘You scared?’
‘No, but come with me anyway.’
‘You’re scared,’ Ben chanted gleefully as they walked towards the front door.
Maddy lifted the heavy bolt, turned the key and pulled the door open.
A small slim woman in her fifties, with brownish grey bobbed hair stood at the bottom of the steps, looking up at them.
‘Afternoon, I’m Esther Foxton, Morris’ wife.’ She looked them up and down, an unimpressed look on her face, walked up the front steps and wiped her feet on the mat. ‘You’re young,’ she said to Madison.
Maddy didn’t respond. Esther walked past them, straight through to the kitchen. Maddy and Ben followed her looking at each other, eyebrows raised.
‘What would you like me to do for you then?’ Esther asked, without waiting for a reply. ‘I can come in for five days a week if you like, from nine till twelve. I’ll clean and do your washing, shopping and meals. How’s that sound? Let
me know in advance if you don’t want me to come for any reason, I still get paid for those days anyway - Hamilton Blythe deal with all that. If you want anything extra, we can sort it out between us. Alright?’
She hadn’t paused for breath and she didn’t sound as if she was asking, she sounded like she was telling.
‘Yeah, that‘s ... fine,’ Maddy said.
‘Leave a list of any extra groceries you want. Leave your washing in the basket at the top of the stairs. Here’s our telephone number, I’ll put it on the fridge. Ring me if there’s an emergency or if you need Morris to drive you somewhere. He’ll take me laddo here to school of a morning when term starts and then, if he wants, he can start taking the bus. D’you want a cuppa tea?’ She started filling the kettle and got some mugs out of the cupboard.
‘No thanks,’ Maddy said.
Esther turned to look at Ben and waved a mug in front of him.
‘Umm, no thanks.’
‘Right, I’ll have a quick cuppa and then I’ll be off. Back tomorrow at nine, as agreed. I‘ve got my own set of keys so I’ll let myself in.’
‘She’s got a nerve,’ Maddy said, after Esther had gone. “I’ve got my own set of keys, so I’ll let myself in”.’ She mimicked her Gloucestershire accent. ‘Oh well, at least we won’t have to do any housework.’
‘She’s weird,’ Ben said.
‘Yeah, her and Morris. Both of them are weird.’
*
During the next week, Madison and Ben fell into a routine. Esther came to the house in the morning, so they spent those hours outside, wandering in the gardens, getting lost in the maze, exploring the woods and feeding the very tame deer. They even visited the small chapel where her ancestors had been buried.
Maddy asked Morris to take them to the nearest large town where she bought a couple of top-of-the-range mountain bikes. These made getting around the property a lot easier and a lot more fun.
They usually ate lunch together in the kitchen. Then, in the afternoons, they would do their own thing. Ben would be outside riding around on his bike and climbing trees in the forest, whilst Maddy explored the house.
She discovered a gorgeously cosy library, stacked floor to ceiling with books. Maddy would tuck herself into the corner of the deep cushioned window seat and start to read one of the dusty hardbacks. But she couldn’t concentrate. She was too excited for any book to hold her interest for long. The library led into a large, warm orangery with citrus trees, vines and all kinds of other greenery. The house just overflowed with beautiful and interesting places to sit and relax.
By Friday of that first week, Madison began to get a bit restless, unused to so much free time and so few people. She wandered the house from the attics to the cellars. She cycled, ran, played pool, darts, the hoopla game and started to feel as though it truly was her house, but she missed her friends. Ben, however, was completely absorbed in the house and grounds. He loved them and hadn’t been bored once. Maddy scrolled through the numbers in her new mobile phone and called Keisha.
‘Oh, my God, Mads!’ Keisha’s screech made Maddy smile. ‘We’re just walking home. I’m with Lois. I’ll put you on speaker phone. Lois, it’s Mads. Say hi to Mads.’
‘Hey, girl, how’s it going in your stately home?’
‘I miss my girls,’ Maddy said. ‘Why don’t you come up this weekend? In fact, why don’t you spread the word. I’m gonna have a party. Saturday night.’
‘Now that’s what I’m talking about!’ Lois shouted.
After Maddy turned her phone off, she felt her heart thump wildly. A party? She’d just said she was having a party. Knowing Keisha and Lois, they would invite half of Collingstone Comp. And the rest. She needed sounds, drink, food, something new to wear.
Madison ordered a taxi and went into town. She couldn’t wait until she was seventeen and able to drive herself around, it was such a hassle relying on Morris or having to wait around for taxis. She walked up and down the main street a few times, then checked out a couple of side streets until she came across the kind of place she wanted. It was a hip little record store with a few kids hanging around outside. She went in.
‘D’you know any good DJs who’d be free on Saturday night?’ she asked the guy behind the counter.
He laughed. ‘I know some really crap DJs who’d be free on Saturday night. But the good ones have pretty much all got gigs.’ He shook his head, walking off into the back room.
‘Wanker,’ Madison muttered.
‘’That bloke’s a dick. I wouldn’t worry about him.’ Maddy turned round to see a boy about her age, with longish blonde hair in a Rage Against The Machine t shirt and a record bag slung over his shoulder. ‘You looking for a DJ, yeah?’
‘Mmm.’
‘I can do it.’
‘You any good? What sort of tunes do you play?’
‘Whatever. I can mix it up, see who’s there and play what the crowd wants. I‘m good,’ he added.
Maddy thought for a second and decided to risk it. He was her best and only option.
‘What do you charge?’
The boy looked at her. ‘What can you pay?’
‘If you’re good, you’ll be happy.’
‘I’m good.’
‘My name’s Madison.’
‘Hey, Madison.’
‘Bring some friends if you like, more the merrier,’ she added.
‘Cool. I’m Travis. Where’s the party?’
‘Marchwood House, just outside town.’
‘Serious?’ His eyes widened and he scratched his shoulder.
‘That a problem?’
‘No, no. That’s wicked. I’ll come down about seven, get set up. You from London? Your accent’s sweet.’
‘Yeah, just moved here with my brother.’
‘Cool, Madison. Later.’
‘Oh, Travis, do you know where I can get hold of some refreshments for Saturday?’
He laughed. ‘Yeah, I can hook you up. What do you want? Beers and stuff?’
‘Pretty much.’
‘No worries, you just tell me what you want and how much and my brother will sort it for you.’
‘Thanks, Travis. Shall I take your number?’
‘Yeah, here you go.’ He picked up a pen from the counter and scribbled on the back of a flyer.
‘Cheers. Saturday then.’
‘Saturday.’
Maddy found a great clothes shop with interesting alternative stuff. Nothing chain store-ish in sight, and she ended up buying way more than she’d intended. Then she raced around the supermarket, chucking crisps, sausage rolls and anything else that looked like party food into her trolley. The taxi was waiting outside for her and she sank into the back seat, pretty pleased with her afternoon’s work.
*
Keisha and Lois arrived Saturday lunchtime. They’d come by coach and then taxi, which Maddy paid for. Her friends were stunned by the house and Madison felt proud, awkward and strange all at the same time. She’d always been the underdog, the one people felt sorry for because she had no parents and no proper home and she’d hated their sympathy and pity. But she didn’t quite know what to do with this new attitude of respect and awe she now inspired.
‘I can’t believe you live here!’ Keisha screeched for the fifth time. Maddy gave them a tour of the house and asked if they wanted to choose their bedrooms. But Lois said she wanted to sleep in Maddy’s room and Keisha agreed. There was a long deep red velvet button back sofa which Lois bagged and they dragged in a single mattress and some bedding from the room next door for Keisha. Then they turned the music up and spent the next few hours getting ready.
‘You know Lois did some flyers, right?’
‘Flyers?’
‘Yeah,’ Lois said. ‘I did them round Tony’s after you rang and we been handing them out all week.’
‘This place will be rammed.’
‘Cool,’ Maddy said, feeling new tremors of trepidation.
‘Ben!’ Lois and Keisha cried together.
‘Come here, you cute boy. Let me kiss you.’ Lois held her arms out to Ben, who had appeared in the doorway. Ben reluctantly let himself be smothered in kisses, before pulling away.
‘Mads, what time’s everyone coming?’ he asked.
‘Won’t be till really late, Ben. But you can stay up. It’s your first proper party.’
‘Yeah, but none of my friends will be here.’
‘Sorry, shortie, but they’re too young. They wouldn’t be able to get here. Or be allowed to come, even. That’s the beauty of having a big sister looking after you. You get to do way more cool stuff.’
‘Yeah.’ But he looked a bit doubtful as he wandered away.
At seven thirty, the doorbell chimed. Maddy, Lois and Keisha went to answer the door together. It was Travis. He had driven up to the house along with about fifteen or twenty other people in several vehicles and some of them had started unloading a PA system from a battered yellow transit van.
‘Just set it up there.’ Madison pointed to a large patio at the side of the house, in front of a huge lawned area where people could dance. ‘You can run the cable in through the lounge doors.’
‘Cool,’ Travis replied. ‘This place is unbelievable. Your parents away?’
‘Did you manage to get hold of the drinks?’ Maddy asked, ignoring his question.
‘Yeah, I got your message. My brother’s got everything in his car. Do you want him to take it into the kitchen?’
‘Please. It’s straight through, at the back of the house.’
‘I’ve told everyone about tonight,’ he said. ‘You said, the more the merrier.’
‘Yeah, I did say that didn’t I.’
He laughed at the worried expression on her face. ‘Chill, it’ll be sweet.’
As more cars and small crowds of people started approaching the house, little niggles of worry started making themselves felt in Madison’s stomach. It was only eight o’clock and the front lawn was filling up already. She followed Travis’ brother through to the kitchen where she popped the lid on a bottle of cold beer, tipped her head back and took several gulps.
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