Strange Star by Emma Carroll Read Free Book Online

beneath a particularly leaky bit of ceiling, catching rainwater drips as they fell. As she was dishing up, someone knocked hard at the front door. Mam’s ladle hovered over my bowl.
    ‘Who on earth can that be?’ she said.
    Only strangers ever used our front door. It opened straight onto Crockers Lane, which Da said made it dangerous because the road was often busy with carters who drove their horses too fast. We used the kitchen door that led into our back yard, and so did any villagers who called.
    ‘I’ll go,’ said Da. Getting to his feet, he gave me and Peg a pretend-serious glare. ‘No touching my food, you pair of greedy guts.’
    He needn’t have worried. We were far more interested in who was on our front step, and crept to the doorway to earwig.
    The caller, we discovered, was a manservant fromEden Court, the big house two miles hence. Mercy had said a scientist was moving in there and so, in the hope of more titbits of information, I listened especially hard.
    ‘You see, Mr Appleby, our tenant from London is arriving any day,’ the manservant said. ‘Yet in opening up one of the downstairs rooms we’ve found the shelving is ruined with damp.’
    ‘Damp’ll do the trick,’ Da agreed.
    ‘As you’re a carpenter, Mr Appleby, can you replace it?’ said the man, in agitated tones. ‘And quickly too? The new tenant has much …’ he paused, ‘… equipment. Not being able to store it properly will be holding up important work.’
    The manservant didn’t say ‘scientist’, but it was obvious this was what he meant. The ‘important work’ part sounded intriguing. I couldn’t wait to tell Mercy all about it.
    ‘I see,’ said Da.
    ‘We need you to come to the house straight away to take measurements, if you please. We’re desperate to get this finished before our tenant arrives.’
    On the spot, Da said he could do it.
    *
    Back at the kitchen table, Mam scraped her bowl so hard it made a screeching noise. ‘You’ve forgotten the cattle, have you?’ she said to Da. ‘Are we to carry all that feed by ourselves?’
    Da sighed gently; he didn’t like arguing, especially not with Mam, who was good at it.
    ‘You could wait an hour or two, my love,’ he said. ‘Just until I’ve been to Eden Court and measured where they’re wanting these shelves put.’
    Mam gestured towards the window. ‘But the rain’s actually stopped out there. Another couple of hours and it’ll be at it again.’
    The wind had changed too, I’d noticed. It no longer blew mild and gusty down the chimney, but seeped icily under the back door. What fell from the sky next might well be snow. And that would make reaching the cattle even harder.
    ‘’We need this Eden Court job, Sarah. It’s important I go,’ Da said, and his face was so lit with excitement, I wanted to smile.
    The look Mam gave him though was deadly. I almost laughed, but it came out as a cough. Peg passed me her cup of water.
    ‘’Tis important our cattle survive the winter and all,’ Mam said. ‘What’s so urgent about a set of shelves, anyway?’
    ‘Mercy says he’s a scientist,’ I said, hoping to lighten the mood.
    Mam rolled her eyes. ‘Oh, and isn’t that just what we need round here – a rich man with chemicals who thinks he can change the world!’
    Pushing back his chair, Da got to his feet. He’d not even touched his oatmeal.
    ‘I’ll be in my workshop,’ he said. The back door slammed shut behind him.
    Mam pulled a face. ‘Well,’ she said, slapping her hands down on the table.
    She wasn’t happy, that much was obvious, and yet still I felt a pang of pride for our da. It was quite something that Eden Court wanted his carpentry skills. Anyway, it was stupid to keep lugging feed up Crockers Lane in this weather.
    ‘We should’ve kept the cattle close to the house. It would’ve made things a fat lot easier,’ I said.
    ‘But the orchard’s got our pigs in it,’ said Peg.
    ‘Not for much longer,’ I reminded her.
    Peg