a successful painter and she asked if she could come and stay at Stonewylde next summer as a paying guest. She has wonderful memories of the place, she said. She wants to take a sabbatical and spend the summer here relaxing and painting, and she really wants to see Merewen too.’
Sylvie swallowed. Rainbow? At Stonewylde?
‘We’ll have to think about it,’ said Yul. ‘I’m not sure … we always said that we’d never have any of the exiled Hallfolk back. Present company excepted, of course.’
‘I suppose she was only a child,’ said Miranda. ‘What was she … thirteen when Magus died? Not much more than that. She can hardly be tarred with the same brush as everyone else. And if she’s a successful artist, she may be able to do something to help us financially.’
‘But if you let one in, you’ll be letting ’em all in. ‘Specially if she pays,’ said Greenbough, his old face furrowed with concern. ‘Like ants – this girl’s the scout and the others’ll follow on. We’d be overrun with ’em afore we know it.’
‘What do you think, Sylvie?’ asked Dawn, thinking that she’d find an ally. Nobody had a kinder heart than Sylvie.
‘I don’t know. My initial reaction is no, never. As Greenbough says, she could be the thin end of the wedge. But … I remember Rainbow’s art and it was wonderful. She was a talented girl and if she’s become a proper artist now …’
She trailed off, hating the thought of Rainbow breaching the Boundary Walls but despising her meanness of spirit.
‘Clip? Any thoughts on this?’ asked Yul, thinking to catch him out in his day-dreaming.
‘Stonewylde is a magical place,’ Clip replied gently. ‘Impossible for those banished not to dream of it. If her heart is right, we should allow the girl a visit. But let’s find out more about her before we make a decision.’
Everyone nodded at this.
‘Sorry to bring it up now,’ said Dawn, a little flushed. ‘I just thought … what you were saying, Yul, about Stonewylde needing money. I thought maybe Rainbow could help or something.’
‘That’s fine, and we will consider it. So, back to Harold’s report. I was talking about our difficult financial situation. You all know my father subsidised the estate with his own personal wealth earned through his London business. I don’t have access to that and nor would I want to – the only way we can raise any cash is through our efforts at Stonewylde. You all know how well Harold has done in setting up Stonewylde.com to sell our excess produce. He’s also begun certain new ventures, looking into ways to raise money, and he has some exciting ideas for the future. So first let’s hear what we’ve achieved this year, Harold.’
All eyes turned to the thin young man sitting beside Yul. He coughed nervously and pushed his glasses back up his nose. Shuffling his pages of figures, he launched into a rapid recount of the success achieved by the company. He’d worked diligently and was a natural project manager, but he wasn’t a natural speaker and much of what he said went straight over the Council of Elders’ heads.
Although Yul knew the contents of the report, he listened with a smile as Harold spoke of Stonewylde.com. The Internet business had been set up to sell the surpluses produced at Stonewylde; it was the ideal way to make money without having to leave the estate. Their business had evolved from very humble beginnings, when a few jars of honey and bottles of cider had been advertised on a very basic website, to the huge enterprise that it was today. Customers could now browse through many categories and buy all sorts of lovely things: beautiful white nightdresses of finest Stonewylde linen, craftsman-built oak furniture, beeswax candles, handcrafted felt slippers and hats, wines and meads of every flavour, leather goods, patchwork quilts … the list was extensive.
Harold, the young lad who’d got Yul a copy of the key to Sylvie’s room all those years ago, and who’d secretly taught himself to read, write and use the Hallfolks’ computers, had a remarkable gift for retail and marketing. A large barn near the Gatehouse had been converted into a storage warehouse and it was from here that many of the goods were now packaged and despatched. Harold had commissioned a corporate logo and all Stonewylde products were branded; every item sold was of highest quality and aimed at the luxury market. Many people worked in the warehouse, both