The Butterfly Box(48)

the lawn towards the lake that lay flat and icy at the bottom of the garden. ‘Let’s ice skate,’ Molly suggested, padding carefully onto the lake. Federica followed her, wincing as she took her first faltering steps over the slippery surface.

‘Careful you don’t fall,’ said Molly.

Federica didn’t want to go on the ice. She was frightened it might break. But she watched miserably as the two unfriendly girls skated their way into the middle of the lake and knew that if she wanted them to be her friends she would have to follow. Reluctantly she stood unsteadily on the shiny surface. Relieved that it felt sturdy and secure she skated stiffly after them. ‘Come on, Fede!’ Molly shouted, smiling at her. ‘Well done!’

‘Bet you never did this in Chile,’ said Hester. She was right. Federica nodded.

‘Isn’t this fun? I’d like to skate properly with proper skates,’ said Molly. ‘I wish Daddy would buy me a pair, then I could twirl around.’ She demonstrated a shaky twirl. Hester tried to copy her but fell on her bottom. They laughed and Federica laughed too, feeling the first thrill of camaraderie. She practised a few turns which resulted in her falling onto the ice as well.

‘Like this,’ Molly instructed, taking large steps and lifting one leg into the air.

Hester and Federica copied her, giggling at their hopeless efforts.

‘Look, there’s Sam!’ Hester shouted, waving to her brother who descended the lawn towards them.

‘Get off the ice!’ he shouted. ‘It isn’t safe.’

‘Spoilsport,’ said Molly under her breath. ‘Come on,’ she sighed, skating off towards him.

Suddenly there came a deep cracking noise, like the awakening groan of a monster from the deep. Molly roared with laughter, Hester screamed in alarm and Federica, some way behind them, began to run in her effort to get off the ice. She didn’t realize that one shouldn’t run on ice. The groan got louder and more threatening. She ran faster but her feet started to falter. Suddenly they slipped up from under her and she landed on her chest winding herself, knocking her chin against the surface with a terrifying crunch. When she tried to get up she saw blood on the ice and cried out in terror. As she raised herself onto her knees, barely able to breathe because of her fall, it gave way and she slid into the freezing water of the lake. Panic seized her around her throat so that her cry was nothing more than a pathetic whisper. She tried to grab onto the ice that surrounded her but it crumbled in her hands like icing on a cake. Her coat

was too big and restricted her movements. She tried to kick with her legs but she felt nothing but the cold. She began to sink and squealed in fright as the water reached up to her neck.



‘You’re all right,’ came a calm voice. She raised her bloodshot eyes to see the pale face of Sam Appleby looking down at her from where he was lying above her on the ice. He grabbed her arms. ‘It’s all right, I’ve got you,' he said, locking his eyes into hers to reassure her. ‘Now, I’m going to pull you up so when I say “go”, start kicking with your feet,’ he instructed.

‘I can’t feel them,’ she sobbed.

‘Yes you can. Now GO!’ Federica began to kick furiously as Sam slowly pulled her out of her black hole. The ice creaked ominously again, but Sam continued to pull and Federica continued to kick as her very life depended on it. ‘Good girl,’ he kept saying to encourage her. Finally she lay on the ice like a heavy wet seal, panting and whimpering with shock. ‘Now we’re going to slide along, okay? We’re not going to walk, you understand?’ She nodded, her teeth chattering as much out of fear as out of cold. Sam put his arm around her and together they wriggled their way towards the grass. Her body was so numb she could barely move it. It seemed an age before they touched the solid ground. Once on the land Sam wasted no time in lifting Federica into his arms, striding urgently up the garden to the house with Molly and Hester following behind like a couple of breathless geese.

The girls rushed into the sitting room to tell their mother and Helena while Sam stalked up the stairs shouting for Bea, the children’s nanny, who was in the nursery supervising Lucien, Joey and Hal. When she saw the sobbing child in Sam’s arms she gasped in horror and led them into Molly’s bedroom. ‘What happened?’ she cried as Sam put the child down.

‘Molly again. Stupid girl!’ he exclaimed hotly. ‘That child could have died. Get her out of those clothes at once before she catches pneumonia,’ he instructed before leaving the room. Helena and Ingrid rushed up the stairs and into the bedroom where Federica, naked and shivering, fell into her mother's arms and sobbed all over again.