Alice came back soon after that and made up another potion with the roots she'd found. We worked together and managed to get it down the Spook's throat, and within moments he was asleep again.

    That done, Alice sniffed the air and wrinkled up her nose. Even after I'd changed the bedclothes the room still stank to high heaven, so that I couldn't smell the flowers any more. At least, that's what I thought at the time. I didn't realize that the Spook was on the mend.

    So the doctor and nurse were both proved wrong: within hours the fever had gone and my master was coughing up thick phlegm from his lungs, filling handkerchiefs as quickly as I could find them, so I ended up tearing another sheet into strips. He was on the slow road to recovery. And once again we owed it all to Alice.

Bad News

    The Hursts returned the following day but looked lost and bewildered, as if they didn't know how to start clearing up the mess. The Spook spent most of his time sleeping but we couldn't let him stay in a room with the wind howling in through the broken window, so I took some money from his bag and gave it to Mr Hurst to pay for some of the repairs.

    Workmen were employed from the village: a glazier fitted new glass to the bedroom and kitchen windows while Shanks boarded up the rest temporarily to keep the elements out. I had a busy day myself, making up the fires in the bedrooms and one downstairs in the kitchen, helping with the farm chores too, especially the milking. Mr Hurst did some work but his heart wasn't in it. It seemed as if he didn't enjoy life any more and had lost the will to live.

    'Oh dear! Oh dear!' he kept muttering wearily to himself. And once I heard him say quite distinctly, as he looked up at the barn roof, his face filled with anguish, 'What did I do? What did I do to deserve this?'

    That night, just after we'd finished our supper, there were three loud raps on the front door and they brought poor Mr Hurst to his feet so suddenly that he almost fell backwards over his chair.

    'I'll go,' Mrs Hurst said, laying her hand gently on her husband's arm. 'You stay here, love, and try to keep calm. Don't go upsetting yourself again.'

    By their reaction I guessed it was Morgan at the door. And there was something about the manner of the three loud raps that chilled me to the bone. My suspicions were confirmed when Alice looked at me, turned down the corners of her mouth and mouthed silently the word 'Morgan'.

    Morgan swaggered into the room ahead of his mother. He was carrying a staff and bag. Wearing his cloak and hood, he looked every inch a spook.

    'Well, this is cosy. And if it isn't the young apprentice himself,' he said, turning to me. 'Master Ward, we meet again.'

    I nodded in reply.

    'So what's been happening here, Old Man?' Morgan taunted Mr Hurst. 'That farmyard's a disgrace. Have you no pride in yourself? You're letting this place go to rack and ruin.'

    'Ain't his fault. Stupid or something, are you?' Alice snapped, hostility heavy in her voice. 'Any fool can see if s the work of a boggart!'

    Morgan frowned angrily and glared at her, raising his stick a little, but Alice returned his gaze with a mocking smile.

    'So the Spook sent his apprentice to deal with it, did he?' Morgan said, turning towards his mother. 'Well, that's gratitude for you, isn't it, Old Woman? You take in a little witch for him and he can't even be bothered to come and help bind your boggart. He always was a cold-hearted wretch.'

    I was on my feet in an instant. 'Mr Gregory came right away. He's upstairs because he was badly hurt dealing with the boggart-'

    Immediately I knew that I'd said too much. Suddenly I felt afraid for my master. Morgan had threatened him in the past and now the Spook was weak and defenceless.

    'Oh, so you can speak,' he said, mocking me. 'If you ask me, your master's clearly past it. Hurt binding a boggart? Good Lord, thaf s the easiest trick in the book! But that's what age does. Clearly the old fool's past his best. I'd better go upstairs and have a word with him.'

    With that, Morgan crossed the kitchen and began to climb the wooden stairs to the bedrooms. I leaned across and whispered that Alice should stay where she was. Then I left the kitchen and made for the stairs. At first I thought that Mrs Hurst was going to ask me to stay, but she simply sat down and buried her face in her hands.

    I began to creep up the stairs, but they were creaky so I only climbed three before pausing to listen to Morgan's raucous laughter from above, followed by the sound of the Spook coughing. Then the stair creaked behind me, and I turned and looked down to see Alice with her finger against her lips to signal silence.

    Next the Spook's voice came from the bedroom above. 'Still digging into that old mound?' I heard him ask. 'It'll be the death of you one day. Have more sense. Keep well clear while you've still got breath left in your body'

    'You could make it easy for me,' Morgan replied. 'Just give me back what's mine. Thaf s all I ask.'

    'If I gave you that, you'd do untold damage. That's if you survived. Why does it have to be this way? Stop meddling with the dark and sort yourself out, lad! Remember the promises you made to your mother. It's still not too late to make something of your life.'

    'Don't pretend to care about me,' answered Morgan. 'And don't you dare talk about my mother. You never cared one jot about any of us and that's the truth. Nobody except that witch. Once Meg Skelton came into the picture my poor mother didn't have a chance. And where did that get you? And where did it get her but condemned to a life of misery?'

    'Nay, lad. I cared about you and I cared about your mother. I loved her once, as you well know, and all my life I've done my level best to help her. And for her sake I've tried to help you, despite all that you've done!'

    The Spook started to cough again and I heard Morgan curse and start to walk towards the door. 'Things are different now, Old Man, and I will have what's owed to me,' he said. 'And if you won't give it to me, then I'll use other means.'

    Alice and I turned together and went back down the stairs. We just made it into the kitchen before his boot scuffed against the top stair.

    As it was, Morgan didn't even look at us. With a face like thunder, ignoring his mam and dad, he strode straight through the kitchen and into the hallway. We all listened quietly as he drew back a bolt, unlocked a door in the hall and started stamping about in the room behind. After a few moments we heard him come out again, then lock and bar the door. A moment later he'd left the house; the front door slammed shut behind him.

    At the table nobody spoke, but I couldn't help glancing at Mrs Hurst. So the Spook had loved her once too. That would make three women he'd been involved with! And that was one reason why Morgan seemed to bear a grudge against him.

    'Let's get you up to bed, love,' Mrs Hurst said to her husband, her voice soft and affectionate. 'A good night's sleep is what you need. You'll feel much better in the morning.'

    With that, the two of them left the table, poor Mr Hurst shuffling towards the door with his head bowed. I felt really sorry for them both. Nobody deserved a son like Morgan. His wife paused in the doorway and looked back at us. 'Don't be too late coming up, you two,' she said, and we both nodded politely and then listened to them climbing the stairs together.

    'Well,' said Alice, 'that just leaves the two of us. So why don't we go and look at Morgan's room? Who knows what we might find ...'

    'The room he just went in?'

    Alice nodded. 'Strange noises sometimes come from it. I'd like to see what's inside.'