She walked briskly across the quiet gardens. It didn’t spook her. The silence had become her friend in a way. For the first few days, she had missed the hustle and bustle of normal life – TV, radio, people around her, the sound of engines and the hum of electronic appliances, even central heating. Now she realised that there were so many sounds around her that she would normally not notice. Birds were singing. Claire was no ornithologist, so she couldn’t tell what kind of birds they were, but they were free and alive and cheerful. There was the soft rustle of the wind. She could hear the leaves moving on the ground and the crunch as her runners stepped on them. She could hear her own breathing, slightly out of breath from walking up the small slope after a large breakfast and several days of no exercise. She could hear the house to her left. It wasn’t an eerie sound, but just a sort of presence, a bit like one is aware of a dog being in the house even though the dog is quietly asleep – a sound one misses if it’s suddenly not there.
It was raining outside. It wasn’t heavy, but it left droplets on the windows...
It was raining outside. It wasn’t heavy, but it left droplets on the windows, making it look like the window was covered in glitter which gleamed and shone in the candlelight. There was something outlandish about the place. It wasn’t only the grand rooms and the exquisite décor and not even the sheer size of the building; there was more to it. It was a feeling. She felt enveloped in it day and night. It wasn’t unpleasant or choking, but it wasn’t cosy and welcoming either. It was just there, like a straitjacket. She hoped that there could have been a bit more glitter and glamour to her days. She wasn’t exactly a sparkly kind of girl, but she missed… something.
To her surprise, he took her hand and raised it to his lips.
To her surprise, he took her hand and raised it to his lips. For a moment, Claire couldn’t see his face properly. When he let go of her hand and looked up at her again, there was a peculiar expression on his face. It was full of longing, and it went so deep that Claire’s heart shattered. She didn’t feel sympathy for him. It was more a case of feeling a similar yearning, and it seemed to push her heart all the way to the back of her ribcage where it was being strangled against her spine and was likely to be squeezed out of life.