Alice shook her head. 'But it ain't right, Tom. Something's got to be done sooner or later.'

    'Well, later rather than sooner. You won't do anything about the herb tea, will you? Promise me.'

    Alice smiled. T promise, but I think you should talk to Old Gregory about it. Will you do that?'

    'It's not the right time to do it now, when he's still ill. But I will when I think the time is right. He won't listen though. This has been going on for years. Why would he change it now?'

    'Just speak to him, that's all I ask.'

    So I agreed, even though I knew I'd be wasting my time and just make the Spook angry for nothing. But Alice was starting to worry me. I wanted to trust her but she certainly had a bee in her bonnet about Meg.

    The Spook came down late in the afternoon and managed to eat some broth, then spent the evening wrapped in a blanket in front of the fire. When I went up to bed, he was still there, and Alice was helping Meg to wash the pots ready for breakfast.

    The following morning, which was a Tuesday, the Spook gave me a short Latin lesson. He didn't look too well: he tired very quickly and went back to bed, so I was left to study by myself for the rest of the day.

    Then, late in the afternoon, there was a knock on the back door. I went to answer it and found Shanks, the Spook's delivery man, waiting there. He had a very nervous expression on his face and kept glancing over my left shoulder, as if he expected somebody to appear behind me at any moment.

    'I've brought Mr Gregory's order,' he said, nodding back towards his pony with its load of brown sacks. 'And I've got a letter for you. It was delivered to the wrong house and they were away on business. They've just got back so it must be over a week old.'

    I looked at him in amazement. Who could be sending me a letter here? He reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a crumpled envelope and handed it to me. I was worried because I recognized my brother Jack's handwriting on the envelope and knew it would have cost a small fortune to send the letter by the post wagon: it had to be something serious. It was bad news for certain.

    I tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter, which was short and to the point.

    Dear Tom,

    Our dad 's taken? bad ways again. He's sinking fast. All his sons are here but youu, so you'd best come home right away.

    Jack

    Jack always was blunt and those words made my heart drop right down into my boots. I couldn't believe that Dad was going to die. I couldn't even imagine it. The world wouldn't be the same without him. And if Jack's letter had been down in the village for a week, waiting to be read, I might already be too late. While

    Shanks unloaded our provisions, I ran inside, went up to the Spook's bedroom and, with shaking hands, showed him the letter. He read it, then gave a long sigh.

    'I'm sorry to hear your bad news,' he said. 'You'd best get off home right away. At a time like this your mam will need you by her side.'

    'What about you?' I asked. 'Will you be all right?'

    'Don't worry about me, I'll be right as rain. No, you get off while there's some daylight left. You'll want to be down off the moor long before nightfall.'

    When I went down to the kitchen, Alice and Meg were whispering together. Meg smiled when she saw me. 'I'm going to make you both a special supper tonight,' she said.

    'I won't be here for supper, Meg,' I told her. 'My dad's ill and I've got to go home for a few days.'

    'Sorry to hear that, Billy. Snow's on its way for sure, so wrap up warm against the cold. Frostbite can make your fingers fall off.'

    'How bad is it, Tom?' Alice asked, looking concerned, so I handed her the letter and she read it quickly.

    'Oh, Tom! I'm so sorry' she said, coming across to give me a hug. 'Maybe it won't be quite as it seems ...'

    But when our eyes met I could tell that she was just saying that to make me feel better. We both feared the worst.

    I got ready to set off for home. I didn't bother with my bag -1 left that in the study - but I took my staff; in my pocket, in addition to a big piece of crumbly yellow cheese for the journey, I had my tinderbox and a candle stub. You never knew when they might come in useful.

    After saying goodbye to the Spook, I walked to the back door with Alice. To my surprise, rather than saying farewell then, she tugged her coat from the hook and pulled it on.

    'I'll come down to the end of the clough with you,' she said, giving me a sad smile.

    So we walked down together. We didn't speak. I was numb and fearful, while Alice seemed really subdued.

    When we reached the bottom of the clough and I turned towards Alice to say goodbye, to my surprise, I saw that there were tears in her eyes. 'What's wrong, Alice?'

    'Ain't going to be here when you get back. Old Gregory's sending me away. I'm off to stay at Moor View Farm again.'

    'Oh, I'm sorry, Alice. He didn't say anything to me about that. I thought everything was all right.'

    'He told me last night. Says I'm getting too close to Meg.'

    'Too close?'

    'I think it might be because he saw us chatting together, that's all. Who knows what's going on inside Old Gregory's head? Just thought I'd tell you. So that you'll know where to find me when you get back.'

    'I'll call in to see you first thing,' I told her. 'Even before I go back to the Spook's house.'

    'Thanks, Tom,' Alice said, taking my left hand briefly to give it an affectionate squeeze.

    With that, I left her and continued down, pausing once to look back. She was still there watching me, so I gave her a wave. Alice hadn't offered any final words of comfort. She hadn't mentioned my dad. We both knew there was nothing to say and I dreaded what I would find at home.

    Dusk came quickly, helped by a bank of thick, heavy cloud from the north. It was getting dark as I left the heights of the moor; somehow I managed to lose my bearings and missed the track I'd intended to take.

    Down below was a copse of trees and a low drystone wall with a small building some way beyond it -probably a farmhand's cottage, which meant that there would most likely be a small road or track leading from it down the hill. I clambered up onto the wall but hesitated before dropping down on the other side. For one thing it was well over six feet high and I discovered I was now looking down at a large graveyard. It wasn't a cottage in the distance either. It was a small chapel.

    I shrugged and dropped down among the gravestones. After all, it might be a bit creepy but I was the Spook's apprentice and I had to get used to places like this even if it was almost dark. I began to weave my way through the graves, moving downhill, and it wasn't long before my feet were crunching along a gravel path leading towards the chapel.

    It should have been straightforward. The path led down the side of the chapel; beyond that, it meandered through the gravestones towards two huge yew trees which formed an archway over a gate. I should have kept walking but there was a glimmer of light showing in the small stained-glass chapel window, evidence of the flickering of a candle. And as I passed the door, I noticed that it was slightly ajar and I distinctly heard a voice from within.

    A voice that called out a single word: 'Tom!'

    It was a deep voice, a man's voice, a voice that was used to being obeyed. I didn't recognize it.

    Even though it seemed unlikely, I felt that I was being called. And who could be inside the chapel who knew my name, or that I was passing by in the dark at that moment? There shouldn't have been anyone in the chapel at that time of night. It would only be used occasionally, for short services before burials.