A Trick of the Light by Ali Carter (surface ebook reader txt) 📕

He raised his glass to his mouth and said nothing – the vanity.

I waited for him to talk. I wasn’t in the mood to volunteer conversation.

‘Where are you going after here?’ He felt for my foot under the duvet.

‘Home.’ I wriggled away.

‘Where’s that?’

‘East Sussex, just north of Brighton.’

‘Long way to go.’

‘Yeah, but I’d rather do it in a one-er – I need to get back and do some work.’

‘Painting?’

‘Yup.’

‘What?’

‘Two landscape commissions for neighbours. It’s great, I don’t have to travel far. They both want the view of the Downs from their house.’

‘Nice job?’

‘I’m looking forward to it. I love painting in spring. Then I’ve got to visit a cat in Dorset, two donkeys in Devon and a terrier in Oxfordshire.’

‘No hamsters?’

‘Oi.’

‘What about Easter? Are you taking time off for that?’

‘Rubbish. I’d completely forgot it’s this Sunday,’ I said, struggling to believe I’d failed to keep track of Easter.

‘Well, it does tend to move around.’ Louis winked.

‘I told my parents I’d go to them.’

‘In Sussex?’

‘No, London.’

He nudged into my leg. ‘Maybe we could meet up? I’m going there on Friday for a week.’

‘Really? I thought you lived in Paris?’

‘I live in London too. Where are your parents?’

‘Kennington.’

‘As in Lambeth?’

‘As in Lambeth.’

‘I’m in South Ken so we could meet there?’

I kicked him. ‘That’s my home you’re talking about.’

‘Your home is Sussex. Will you see me in London? Please?’

‘Depends if my parents have plans.’

‘You’re right, I should check what my girlfriend’s up to.’

‘Girlfriend?’

‘It’s sort of on and off.’

‘You’re so naughty.’

Louis shuffled his bottom up the bed. ‘Please kiss me.’

I pushed him back as he leant towards me. ‘You’ve just told me you have a girlfriend.’

‘And?’

‘I couldn’t do that to her.’

He whined and shuffled back down the bed. ‘You must live near Glyndebourne then. Do you ever go?’

‘If someone else is generous enough to take me. I love opera.’

‘Well, why don’t I take you to Covent Garden?’

‘On a date?’

‘Just two friends.’

‘Okay.’

Girlfriend or not, this was too big a treat to turn down.

Louis pulled his mobile out of his pocket. ‘Give me your number then?’

I told him my number, adding, ‘Text me, don’t call me, please.’

‘Why?’

‘I don’t like talking on the phone.’

‘Comme tu veux. Although, I kinda like how blunt you are.’

‘In that case, Louis,’ I yawned, ‘I really have to go to sleep.’

‘No problem, I’ll watch over you.’

I kicked his bottom and he got off the bed.

‘Night.’ He bent down and kissed my forehead. ‘Sleep well.’

‘Night, night, thanks for coming to see me.’

He closed the door and I turned out the light. A bit of flirting had cheered me up. I think I should be able to sleep now.

My tummy churned from the moment I woke. I’m in need of a hearty breakfast this morning.

Lianne and Shane were arguing in the corridor.

‘What’s going on? Hey. You two.’

‘He’s a smelly swine.’ Lianne was grasping for his mobile.

‘Morning, Miss. She doesn’t get that it’s art.’

‘What’s art?’

‘He’s got me on video in my PJs. Tell him to delete it. Please.’

‘Can I see it?’

‘Sure.’ Shane handed me his mobile without a fight. ‘It’s a montage of the week. It’s for my A Level course work. You can’t make me delete it.’

‘Yes she can,’ said Lianne as I pressed play.

The video began with footage from the fishing hut and the wide shot of Felicity’s bottom cut to a back view of Lianne trotting down the children’s corridor into the bathroom.

‘Jees, my bum is out,’ Lianne wailed and before there was time to take in the full cheek of the scene it turned into Haggis jumping up, jaws wide open.

I pressed pause. ‘Can we turn the sound up?’

‘No, Miss, music’s cheating. You get higher marks if you create atmosphere without it. Come on, you have to watch it as a sequence, no stopping.’

A series of split-second interior shots flashed across the screen, we were then outside a full circumference of the house, back inside, a speeded-up ascent of the staircase, and a flash of Louis’ grumpy expression transposed with a clip of Mhàiri hoovering. This ended with a spiral effect of drawings and paintings from the week, then the grand finale, a Highland cow’s behind.

‘Very impressive,’ I smiled at Shane.

‘Tell him to delete it,’ said Lianne. ‘He has to.’

‘You only show for a split second.’

‘But everyone back home will know it’s me.’

I looked at Shane. ‘Is it easy to edit it out?’

‘You’re as bad as her, Miss.’

‘Pleeease,’ begged Lianne.

‘I think it would be kind.’

‘Fine then.’

‘Thanks, mate.’ She slapped his back and bounced off down the corridor. ‘Breakfast time, toast and honey fill my tummy.’

‘Shane, can I watch it through one more time?’

‘To see Lianne’s bum?’

‘Don’t be silly, I just want to check something out.’ I pressed play.

‘Oi, why’ve you stopped it again, Miss?’

I’d paused on the clip of Mhàiri hoovering.

‘I think someone’s been in my room and I want to see if you caught it on camera.’ I thought nothing of being honest with him.

‘Cool. Here,’ he took his mobile back, ‘you can zoom it in…Nah, Miss, you’re wrong, no one’s there.’

‘Move it forward a split second.’

‘Jesus,’ said Shane, holding the screen right up to his face. ‘You were right.’

‘Let me have a look.’

‘It’s Jane,’ he whispered as he handed me his mobile. ‘I bet she was stealing from you.’

‘I have nothing to steal,’ I smiled.

‘But you said someone was in your room?’

‘I said I thought someone had been in my room.’

It was stupid of me to have told Shane the truth. There was no need for him to know and now he was hot on to Jane.

‘I reckon she was stealing.’

‘No, no, you’ve got it all wrong. She was just looking for me.’

‘Yeah right, but whatever. Do you like my work?’

‘It’s great and will be even better when you take Lianne out.’

‘Okay. I promise I will.’

‘That’s kind.’ I smiled. ‘Come on, I’m hungry.’

We went downstairs and Shane barged straight into the dining room before me. Then, in front of everyone, the little rat said, ‘There’s a thief here.’ He pointed at Jane. ‘We’ve got ya on