The rain had stopped an hour ago, leaving everything gleaming like silk in the sunlight, but more clouds were starting to roll over the treetops that separated their land from the moor. A big storm was forecast for later, and strong winds, the kind of tempest that could as easily set nerves on edge as it could exhilarate the senses. Her eyes were drawn to a quad bike bumping down over a neighbouring field, scattering the sheep and leaving a dark trail in the grass behind it. It was the gamekeeper making his rounds, fattening up the birds ready for a shoot, and checking no poachers had ventured onto private land via the moor. She followed his progress in through one of their gates, which he diligently closed behind him before carrying on down past the lake, where he took a short cut through the woods to their neighbour’s much larger estate. Remembering that the ducks and geese needed feeding, she was about to turn from the window when her father spotted her and waved. She stared down at him, her eyes remaining bleak as he walked into the house, disappearing from view.
