Page 45 of Tendu: Dancing in the Castle

“Don’t!” I ran back up the steps only to find the door handle-less and ungiving.

“Oh yeah, I forgot that,” he slurred. “That Holly woman let me out before.”

“You mean we’re locked in here?” Despair turned to plain anger. My high heels clopped down the steps. “We are locked in here?” I repeated.

“Babe, I’m sorry.”

“You are not sorry. You’re drunk, and you’re stupid, and you’re a man, just made to hurt women with your handsome faces and nice words. But it’s all lies in the end, isn’t it?”

I pushed him, and in his drunken state he fell heavily against the dresser causing all sorts of kitchenware to thunder down over him.

The door flew open. Holly and Justin took in the unfortunate scene. I ran up the steps to them and was soon drying my face on a tea towel in a big medieval-looking kitchen. I stared at the blackened stones of a huge fireplace archway as Justin made strong tea and Holly patted my hand.

“Tell us fit happened. You’re affa upset aboot something.”

“Yes.” The image of that kiss seemed to have been branded onto my retinas.

“Tell me,” encouraged Holly.

“I just want to go to bed. Where’s Will?” His absence was disturbing.

“Dinna you worry aboot him. He’ll stew far he is for a bit. He canna get oot.”

“He’s still shut in the cupboard thing?”

“Aye.”

“But I pushed him, and stuff fell on him. He might be hurt.”

“And why did ye de that?”

“I was angry about being shut in the room.”

The hot tea singed my mouth. What a night of burning liquids and sights.

“I hope you’re nae covering up for him.”

“Hearst’s not the raping kind,” said Justin. “An idiot, who got her locked in a cupboard, probably with the idea of getting a snog. But anything else? Can’t see it.”

“Oh, no,” I said, alarmed. “Is that what you’re thinking? No snogging, nothing. I was upset, and he showed me the weird floor. Will’s my friend, and I was horrible to him.” I felt vaguely sick, and the room seemed to shift a bit to the left.

“Aye,” said Holly. “You two should get off to bed. Getting you all bleazin’ like this wis never a good idea in my book. Come on, there’s a back way. Ye dinna have to go through the throng.”

The back passage wound round in an arc and came out near the elevator. Justin darted into the great hall, darted back out and got into the lift with me.

“Good idea, yeah?” he asked, holding up a full whisky bottle.

My stomach clenched as I looked from the bottle to the foyer where Aleks and Simone had just appeared. Was another kissing display about to take place? They saw us just as the doors slid shut.

“He might give chase,” mused Justin.

“I doubt it.”

The doors jerked open at the top of the stairs. “Let’s sprint,” suggested Justin.

Miraculously, the downward stumble did not result in a limb-snapping tumble, and we made it safely to Justin’s very red room.

I had just finished cleansing my face of the itchy make-up when three sharp raps sounded on the door. Justin put his finger to his lips. We sat very still.

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