Dark glasses covered his eyes yet Isobel felt as if he was staring directly at her. A moth flew free from the folds of the curtains and fluttered its shivery wings against the window as her mother supported this man, who was dead but came back to life three times, to walk up the steps and into their lives.
They listened to the thud of his walking stick on the hall, followed by the bleep of the stairlift as it glided him towards Fear Zone. A crescendo of barking broke out, along with a frantic skitter of the dog’s paws on the Fear Zone floorboards. The arrival home of The Recluse was even more dreadful than Isobel had anticipated.
She was still in her pyjamas when Victor came into the den. This was his third time to visit Hyland Hall. Yesterday, he spent ages in the kitchen talking to their mother about The Recluse and how best she could manage him. He made it sound like chains would be needed.
‘Don’t mind the noise from above,’ he said. ‘It’ll settle down soon enough. How are you two adjusting to your new home?’
‘Three.’ Julie flapped her hand towards Cordelia.
His eyebrows shot up when he saw the mannequin sitting on the chaise longue in her stripy leggings and yellow T-shirt.
‘Forgive me.’ He made a slight bow towards Cordelia. ‘Who have we here?’
‘My name is Cordelia Kingston,’ Julie squeaked in her Cordelia voice.
‘Delighted to make your acquaintance, Miss Cordelia.’ He shook the mannequin’s hand and smiled across at Isobel. He was about the same age as her father and, though she was reluctant to admit it, he was better looking.
‘Well, Isobel, how are you?’ he asked.
She inspected her bare feet. There was fluff between her toes. She’d never had fluff between her toes until now. Soon, she’d have fungus growing there, mushrooms sprouting.
‘I hate living here.’ She answered him truthfully. ‘I’m never going to get used to it.’
‘Moving house is a huge challenge,’ he agreed. ‘It’s not surprising you feel that way after saying goodbye to your friends and all the places that were familiar to you. What about you, Julie?’
‘It’s nice,’ she said. ‘I like it here. It’s a new adventure. Ask Cordelia’s opinion?’
‘I will indeed.’ He grinned and said, ‘Tell me, Miss Cordelia, are you happy in your new home?’
‘Hyland Hall is a horrible dump,’ Julie sounded as if she’d been sucking air from a helium balloon. ‘I’m just as upset as Issy.’
‘Don’t you dare compare my feelings to that turnip head.’ Isobel was finding it harder than ever to listen to the Cordelia voice.
‘You’re the stupid turnip head.’ Julie’s forehead scrunched with annoyance. ‘I saw your lips moving,’ said Isobel. ‘I always do.’
‘Girls… girls, I didn’t want to start an argument.’ Victor held up his hands, palms out. ‘Try not to worry too much about the future. Believe me when I tell you it has a way of working itself out.’
He sounded just like their father. Lies, Isobel wanted to shout. Things would never work out, not as long as they were forced to stay here.
When night time came they discovered that The Recluse’s bedroom was above the one they shared. He coughed and moaned, and his bed creaked every time he moved.
They spooned against each other in the four poster bed and tried to ignore the sounds from Fear Zone. ‘Do you think Daddy will come and live here with us when he’s better?’ Julie whispered.
‘He’ll come back to us but he won’t live in the same house.’
‘But there are lots of rooms here…’
‘That doesn’t matter. Mum would never allow it.’
‘Cordelia says—’
‘Cordelia can’t talk.’
‘Yes, she can. She thinks it’s for the best.’
‘Stop pretending she can think.’
‘She can so. She says…’ Julie paused and chewed her bottom lip.
‘Says what?’
‘That he’s gone forever.’
‘Dad will come back to us again but it won’t be the same as before. He’s going to live somewhere else and visit us. But it’ll be all right, Julie. You’ll get used to it. We both will.’ She didn’t want to talk about her father or to think about him anymore.
Julie drifted off to sleep but whenever Isobel’s eyes closed, she was startled awake by a noise from The Recluse’s bedroom. She needed to pee but the thought of going outside into the dark corridor and searching for the light switch made her hold on until that became impossible. She turned on the bedside lamp and almost tripped over Cordelia when she