Moondance of Stonewylde (34 page)

‘It’s not fair! I wanted to ride this afternoon.’

‘Well I was in the middle of watching a really good film and then we were going to have a swim, so you’re not the only one to have their plans ruined. Come on, let’s just choose any old tree and get on with it.’

The Villagers picking below Yul’s feet exchanged glances and rolled their eyes in disbelief. Hallfolk could be amazingly dense.

‘Which tree did Stag ask you to pick?’ asked one of them politely.

The Hallfolk regarded him with disdain.

‘If we knew that, we wouldn’t be confused. Not that it matters, surely – they’re all pretty much the same.’

‘It does matter, sir. Some are for cider, some for eating, and some aren’t ready yet. It’s important to pick the ones Stag has chosen, else all the apples’ll get mixed up. What was the name of your apple?’

‘Some ridiculous name – he said it was near your tree.’

‘Well that tree’s the Onion Redstreak, and those ones over yonder are the Catsheads.’

‘Neither of those.’

‘This here one is a Foxwhelp, and—’

‘Yes, that’s it! Foxwhelp.’

‘There you are then, miss – that’s your tree there. ‘Tis important to pick up the windfalls first so they don’t get trodden underfoot, and then start on the lower branches. Apples should fall into your hand if you cup and twist. There’s the ladder to use for the upper branches.’

‘Yes, alright, thank you. We do understand how it’s done.’

The peaceful golden afternoon with its gentle rhythm of reaching and picking, reaching and picking, whilst chatting desultorily or humming softly, was now spoilt. The young Hallfolk were strident and treated the event as a game. They messed about, throwing apples to each other, swinging on the branches, shrieking and laughing. Sylvie kept her head down and worked steadily, filling her picker and tipping it into the maund before starting again. She was acutely aware of the Villagers’ disapproval and felt embarrassed to be classed as a member of the poorly behaved Hallfolk.

Holly was on good form. She insisted on dragging the ladder over and positioning it against the twisted trunk. It looked precarious; the tree split and divided into branches and there was no good resting place for the top of the ladder. Wearing a skimpy T-shirt, short skirt and trainers, she acted provocatively, tossing her shoulder-length hair about and flaunting her bare legs. As usual, the boys in her group pandered to her ego. The other girls seemed to find it hilarious, which encouraged her further. Sylvie kept as far away from them as possible, picking from the spreading branches on the other side of the tree.

Holly climbed halfway up the ladder, making a big deal of the boys looking up her skirt. She began to pick apples and throw them down, trying to hit people. She made a lot of noise and Yul, up his tree, was sick of it. He and the other Villagers had been working for many hours now and he was in no mood for Holly and the Hallfolk. His picker was full so he climbed down the ladder and went across to the maund, where he unstrapped it and gently tipped the apples onto the steadily increasing pile.
At that point he looked across and saw Sylvie reaching up into the branches above her, unaware of his presence.

He paused to admire her as he re-buckled the picker, noticing how she’d become taller and willowy in recent weeks. His mouth went dry and he felt a surge of excitement at this unexpected encounter. He was on his way over to her to say hello, trying to be unobtrusive, when one of Holly’s apples hit him on the chest. Without thinking he caught it and threw it back. It bounced off her leg and she shrieked with exaggerated pain. Then she noticed who’d thrown it.

‘Yul! You great oaf! That hurt!’

They all turned to look at him and he glared back sullenly, hair in his eyes. Sylvie turned around too, her heart beating faster at the prospect of seeing him. She’d imagined he’d be working in the woods as usual, not the orchards. He stood by the maund, chin raised and contempt on his face. His bare arms were well-defined with muscle and the picker strapped tightly around his waist emphasised his lean height and the breadth of his chest and shoulders. When had he turned from a boy into a man? It had happened so gradually and yet so quickly. Sylvie longed for him and shivered at the intensity of her emotions as she stood in the sunshine amongst the ripe apples, grappling with the temptation he aroused in her.

He looked away from the group of Hallfolk and straight into her eyes. His deep grey gaze flared with emotion and she read all his love and longing in that look.

‘Oi! Yul! Come here! I want a word with you!’ shouted Holly, still halfway up the tree. He ignored her, but with all eyes now on him thought better of going over to see Sylvie. Instead he returned to his own tree, climbing it swiftly and disappearing amongst the foliage. The last thing he wanted was a run in with Holly and the Hallfolk, bringing down Magus’ displeasure. The Autumn Equinox festival was close now and he was determined to enjoy it this year.

But Holly couldn’t let it rest. She remembered how keen he’d once been and his complete indifference now only fuelled her
interest. With Buzz gone, she was at a loose end. None of the Hallfolk boys of suitable age took her fancy; they’d all been Buzz’s satellites and were now directionless and dull. She was surrounded by blond, soft people; Yul was their complete antithesis. He’d grown up so much since the spring and she’d always recognised his promise.

Holly climbed higher up the ladder and then off it altogether, getting right up into the boughs amidst a great deal of commotion. The Villagers were now ignoring the Hallfolk, for the afternoon was well under way and they needed to move on. Their tree was almost picked and they must check with Stag where to go next. There were several maunds sitting on the grass, all full of apples. Yul climbed down from the tree and told one of his brothers to run over to the nearest horse and cart and ask them to come over for a collection. He removed the ladder and laid it on the ground, then unstrapped the picker from his waist.

Sylvie noticed and discreetly made her way around towards him. They managed to stand close together, shielded by the low-hanging branches of the tree, now bare of apples but still covered with leaves. He caressed her slim bare arm with his fingertips, looking into her silvery eyes.

‘How are you, Sylvie?’

‘Better for seeing you.’

‘Me too. I miss you and I wish I could be with you every day, every minute. I think about you all the time, Sylvie.’

She nodded, her heart drumming at his proximity and gentle caress. He moved a little closer and his hand slid round her waist, pulling her to his side. His touch burned her skin through the thin cotton of her dress.

‘All I want is to hold you and kiss you!’ he whispered.

Sylvie’s legs weakened at the desperation in his voice. She felt at once powerful and yet also completely in his thrall. Their snatched intimacy was shattered by a shriek from Holly, high up in the Foxwhelp tree.

‘I’m stuck!’ she wailed at the top of her voice. ‘I can’t get down! Someone help me!’

One of the Hallfolk boys climbed up the ladder and tried to persuade her down through the branches and onto the upper rungs.

‘No! I can’t move! I’m completely stuck!’

‘Holly’s awful!’ whispered Sylvie with a groan. ‘She’s such a show-off. I can’t stand her.’

Fennel said that he certainly wasn’t going up there and Yul grinned at this, remembering how wobbly Fennel was on ladders. July tried to rescue Holly too, shouting at her to just put her foot on the rung and stop being so silly. But Holly wouldn’t budge. Then she started shouting for Yul to come and rescue her. Yul stiffened. He closed his eyes in dismay at the sound of Holly repeatedly yelling his name, insisting he was the only one who could rescue her.

‘You’d better go and help her,’ said Sylvie, her voice small and quivery. ‘She’ll just go on and on and make it worse.’

‘I don’t want to help her. I can’t stand her either.’

‘I know, but she won’t stop until she gets what she wants. That’s what she’s like. Just get her down, Yul.’

Sylvie moved away from him and resumed her picking.

‘Yul!
Yul!
Come here and help me!’

All eyes, Villager and Hallfolk, were turned on him. Reluctantly he stepped forward and stood at the foot of the ladder looking up. She was high in the tree, perched uncomfortably on a branch and holding on tightly. Her bare legs dangled down and her face was a mixture of imperiousness and discomfort at her situation. Yul shook his head.

‘What a stupid thing to do,’ he said.

‘It’s not my fault!’

‘Yes it is. There aren’t even any apples up there. You climbed that high for no reason other than to show off. Didn’t you, Holly?’

‘No! Just shut up and rescue me, Yul.’

‘Not until you see how stupid you’ve been. Else you might do it again. I’m far too busy to waste time rescuing silly girls who don’t know their own limits.’

The Villagers and Hallfolk alike laughed, many pleased to see
Holly getting her come-uppance. Everyone was looking up at her and she flushed.

‘Come on, Holly,’ said Wren. ‘It was stupid. Just admit it and he’ll come and get you. I’ve had enough of this apple picking.’

‘Me too. Just agree with him, Holly. He’s right; you are stupid sometimes,’ said Rainbow.

‘Okay, I was stupid,’ yelled Holly. ‘Now get up that bloody ladder, Yul, and help me down!’

He climbed up and edged towards where she was perched, until his head was level with hers. Her knees brushed against him and he pulled away. His face was closed and cold as he looked around, working out the best way to get her down. She gazed at him speculatively.

‘Since when did you become so masterful, Yul?’

He shrugged, not even bothering to reply.

‘Did you enjoy humiliating me just then? You’re so unfriendly nowadays. I remember how you used to be at the ceremonies and in the Great Barn afterwards, dancing and messing about with me. Do you remember?’

‘That was all a long time ago.’

‘Not that long ago. In fact it was the last Equinox, as I recall. I went off with Buzz and his gang and you got upset. And then they beat you up and you got into trouble with Magus.’

At this he looked her full in the face, his grey eyes blazing. She recoiled slightly, quite shocked at his intensity. She noticed how handsome he was, with his high cheekbones and chiselled nose and jaw.

‘I remember, Holly. I remember your part in it all, and how you found the whole thing so funny and flattering, with no thought of the consequences for me. And now I’m grateful to that moron Buzz for showing me what a waste of time it was. Even the punishment from Magus was worth it, to see you for what you really are.’

She flushed at the insult of his words and the contempt in his voice.

‘Shut your mouth, you stupid Villager, and get me down from
this bloody tree!’ she hissed. ‘And don’t you
dare
speak to me like that again! Remember your place or Magus will hear about it and then you’ll suffer.’

He shrugged at this, indicating his disdain for both her and Magus.

‘Slide along the branch here and then slip off and stand here, where I am now. You can’t go down the ladder facing that way, so, as you slip yourself off, twist around and I’ll guide you down.’

He edged away giving her space to move along. Down below the onlookers had lost interest. The Villagers were loading their maunds into the newly arrived cart. The Hallfolk were now busy picking again, as the cart driver had brought a message from Stag. Magus had left instructions that they couldn’t go home until they’d picked at least one tree. The only person still watching was Sylvie. She couldn’t quite hear what they were saying up there but she could see them looking into each other’s faces, and Holly’s bare legs touching Yul. Sylvie’s throat was tight and aching and she had an urge to climb the ladder herself and give Holly’s ankle a hard tug.

As Holly slid her bottom off the branch, Yul braced himself to balance her. He put his hands round her waist, ready to twist her so she faced the right way. As he touched her Holly gasped and stared into his eyes, now only centimetres from hers. She felt the energy inside him; the pull of his being and the sheer magnetism flowing through his strong fingers. There was something in him – something powerful and thrilling. She could sense it dancing just behind his eyes. She was washed with a wave of desire for him and wobbled on the branch. He grasped her more tightly, thinking she’d fall. His body pressed against hers, both of them balancing precariously on the branch. She closed her eyes and swallowed.

‘Yul, Yul, please.’

‘What’s the matter?’ he said coldly. ‘Hold on to the branch for Goddess’ sake or you’ll fall. Hold on! Stop leaning into me.’

‘I can’t help it,’ she whispered. ‘I want you. I’m sorry, Yul, sorry for everything. I was wrong. I made a mistake about you
and I want to go back to how we used to be together.’

‘You made a mistake alright, but there’s no going back now, Holly. Let’s just get down to the ground.’

‘Wait!’

He’d started to move away, now that she was facing the right way. He planned to guide her from below onto the rungs of the ladder and get down as fast as he could. The last thing he wanted was Holly making a play for him, especially with Sylvie watching. He caught a glimpse of Sylvie’s face down below them, white and pinched. He couldn’t blame her. He knew how he’d feel if he was on the ground watching her and Buzz up in a tree.