Page 5 of Summer Storms

She was remembering an incident in the village when she was a child. She had been walking from the Hall to the village shop, daydreaming about a new bonnet she had seen in the window, when suddenly a wet snowball had struck her on the back. Shocked, she’d spun around, but no one was there.

Puzzled and very uncomfortable, she’d shaken the snow off and began to walk again. But she had only taken a few steps when something else wet and mushy struck her, this time on the back of her head.

This time she caught a glimpse of someone ducking behind some bushes.

By then she had grown angry and very annoyed. She’d marched over to the bush where the culprit was hiding, only for him to stand up before she reached him, laughing in a brazen fashion. It was the hated Zek Nash.

“How dare you?” she’d screeched.

But Zek only doubled over in laughter. He had one of his ragged siblings with him, a little girl, who was clinging to him and giggling as if it were all some wonderful joke.

At a loss of what to do, Christine had snatched up a handful of snow and flung it at him. It had hit him smack in the face. That had stopped his laughter.

But the reprieve only lasted a moment. With a determined expression, Zek began to put together another snowball, far bigger than hers. With a shriek, Christine had turned and ran.

“Throw it! Throw it!” the hateful child next to him had chanted.

She’d heard footsteps pound after her, and a snowball was shoved down the back of her dress, icy cold. She’d wailed in horror and crouched down, shivering and trying to dislodge it, but the snow had begun to melt and was running down inside her clothing.

Behind her, the cruel laughter had stopped. As she huddled there, feeling miserable, the footsteps returned.

“Miss Starling?” Zek had sounded worried, if not apologetic. “Are you hurt?”

She wasn’t, just embarrassed and cold. She stood abruptly and nearly knocked down the little girl, who was bent over, peering into her face. Christine caught her in time, but the child was none too clean, and she hastily removed her hand with a wince.

Zek had seen that. In a flash, his face had changed from concern to anger. “Come on, Izzy,” he’d said in a voice as cold as the snowball. “Let’s not bother the grand lady anymore.”

He’d turned and walked away, as if she was the one at fault when it had been he who had thrown first. She had had the urge to call him back and scold him, but that was just silly. This was his fault, and if his sister was dirty and unwashed, then he should do something about it, shouldn’t he?

The memory was so sharp and clear that she was still pondering it when the carriage arrived home. It seemed Zek had made good since he’d reconnected with his uncle. She wondered what his family were like now, and his little sister. Should she call upon them? His mother would appreciate the visit, she was certain. Perhaps this was a chance to redeem herself in their eyes, although why she should care about that eluded her.

“Christine!” Nigel came running down the front steps as the carriage came to a stop. He had grown, but he was still her little brother and the youngest Starling sibling. “I missed you!”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ve only been gone a few hours.” It seemed silly, but Nigel loved her, so what was there to complain about?

Their parents had retired, so she tucked Nigel back into his bed. His eyes flickered closed, and he was smiling when he fell asleep. She sat with him a while, feeling strangely out of sorts.

Was it because of Zek Nash? Why should seeing him again make her feel like that? He was nothing to her, an unpleasant memory from her past best left forgotten. And yet...

She could have been kinder to him. She could almost hear Abby saying that to her, and certainly Molly would have.

Perhaps she would call, just to prove to him that she was a good person. Or his mother, at least. With any luck, Zek would not be there.

CHAPTER FOUR

Two mornings later, after breakfast, Christine set off to the village to see Mrs Nash, telling herself she would only stay a little while. She also wanted to see her brother Joshua at Allingham Farm, which she was looking forward to far more. It was a warm and sunny day, and she wore one of her nicest summer dresses, tying her hair up beneath her straw hat with its silk flowers.

These days she had a wider array of clothing to choose from, but she was pleased with the effect when she looked into the mirror. London attire was very different from what she wore in Barton Lacey, and while she always wished to look her best, she didn’t want to be overdressed. The Nashes would probably think she was showing them up.

Her mother asked her where she was off to as she headed for the door.

“I thought I might visit the village,” Christine said airily, admitting nothing of her intentions.

Lady Meg raised her eyebrows, a twinkle in her blue eyes. “Mrs Parker in the haberdashers will love to see you, I’m sure. You used to haunt her shop regularly when you were younger.”

Christine supposed she had. She had been dreaming about dressing up as someone else for as long as she could remember. She had been a born actress, and now she was being paid to do it! It was a dream come true by anyone’s measure.

Although sometimes, in her quieter moments, which thankfully weren’t very many, she wondered why she was so eager to be someone else. It wasn’t that she had been unhappy at the Hall, and she loved her family.